


Where the Mist Falls

by YumeNouveau



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Blow Jobs, Consensual Somnophilia, Couch Sex, Cult leader Riddle, Cults, Deputy Remus, FBI Sirius, M/M, Mystery, RS Fireside Tales, Somnophilia, a little blood, early 2000s, from a head wound, homophobic Snape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-10-16 07:56:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17545727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeNouveau/pseuds/YumeNouveau
Summary: Remus loves being a deputy in the snowy mountain town of Greyback Peak.  But when a crazy cult leader escapes in his woods and the FBI is called in, he's not about to just hand everything over to the stuffy know-it-all feds.  That is, until he's confronted with silvery eyes, perfect cheekbones and a tailored suit that make his heart beat so loud it might start an avalanche.Written forRS Fireside Tales 2019.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in mid December of 2000 in case anyone is confused about the lack of cellphones and computers, mysteries are more fun before google can solve all problems
> 
> Special thanks to my beta RK for all her amazing help and ML for bouncing title ideas around with

Remus groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand and fumbling to shut off the blaring alarm with his other. He’d barely slept, fueled more on bad coffee than actual rest as he’d stayed overtime at the sheriff’s office from late last night long into today. Damn, it was still the same day. 3:00 pm to be precise, and now he’d get to do it all over again. This time with feds. 

He was too exhausted from barely three hours of sleep to move the corresponding muscles to roll his eyes but Remus tried anyway, giving himself more of a headache. Two days ago things were quiet, things were nice. He had a comfortable routine in his sleepy town, no big cases, rarely an arrest. True, sometimes there were bar fights, illegal campers in the woods, a domestic dispute to break up. Mostly his days were spent patrolling the streets, being a friendly face the community had learned to trust. He liked making people feel safe. And giving out the occasional speeding ticket. 

But now things were different. His routine was disrupted, and Remus--being a grumpy seventy year old man trapped the body of a thirty year old--hated it. 

“Can’t wait for some stuffy milktoast suit to arrive and steal my case,” Remus grumbled, swinging his long legs over the side of the bed as he contemplated the FBI’s eminent arrival that evening. He stretched, the loose shirt he wore to bed riding up on his toned abdomen before settling back as he rolled his shoulders. Then it was a shower, a hot cup of coffee and a piece of toast smothered in nutella before Remus was out the door, neatly pressed uniform and deputy badge all in their proper place. 

Being mid December, the small mountain town of Greyback Peak was covered in piles of dirty snow, plowed from the roads after the last storm, while the wooded areas had two to three feet of pristine ground cover that had stubbornly refused to melt given the frigid nightly temperatures. Remus started his four wheeler carefully, snow tires gripping the slushy road as he turned his head to insure there weren’t any citizens in need of assistance as he navigated the unusually crowded streets. It was cloudy but the next storm was still a couple days off, at least if the hit-or-miss meteorologist could be trusted. Remus thought it just as likely to get a sudden heat wave, meteor strike, or any other catastrophic weather if his track record counted for anything.

Luckily no lightning struck on the way and Remus arrived at work to fall into the blessed heat of the sheriff’s office where he promptly removed his coat and made for the corner boasting a variety of subpar coffee and tea options. Sheriff McGonagall was out but Remus’ partner James looked to have stayed the entire time he’d slept. His large brown eyes, reddened from lack of sleep, had an extra manic, I’ve-drank-at least-a-dozen-cups-of-coffee look that Remus was all too familiar with. Single and decidedly married to his job, James was on the fast track to becoming sheriff himself through his diligent hard work, a feat almost everyone was surprised at, seeing as he’d been quite the delinquent even up into his academy days. Something had changed him there, or someone, Remus never quite knew, but James had been set to impress ever since and doing a damn fine job of it all. 

“Make any headway Jamie?” Remus asked, walking over to hand his partner a cup of tea. He wasn’t sure the man could survive any more coffee. 

A jittery hand movement Remus was unable to decipher came in lue of words as James gulped down the tea. 

“Something’s happened,” James said dramatically. His eyes darted to the side but Remus had no idea what that could mean.

“Oh yeah?” Remus replied, ducking his head to speak more softly. He definitely would have gotten a call if they’d caught the perp they were searching for, so this was decidedly something else. “You get promoted? Snape get demoted? Oh did they call off the feds before they can saunter in with sticks up their asses?”

James eyes got even wider. So did his mouth. He looked like a hungry fish and Remus was about to laugh when a suit walked out from behind a nearby partition. A very slim, tailored suit which tapered perfectly at trim hips and accentuated very long legs. Remus swallowed. Then he looked up and met the man’s gaze.

“I must’ve forgotten my stick,” the man said, stone faced but with a hint of a twinkle in his grey eyes. 

“Well fuck,” Remus uttered under his breath, watching the corner of the man’s beautiful lips tilt upwards as he obviously heard. Then a second agent, slender and pale, fiery hair and a stylish navy pant suit, sauntered up to the other agent and cocked an eyebrow at them all. 

“Well this is going to be fun,” she said, hand on one hip. Remus heard James let out a choked sound and turned to find his partner practically about to have a fit. He wanted to blame lack of sleep but also knew the man had quite the thing for redheads. For whatever reason. Remus always prefered tall dark and handsome himself, not that he was looking. Oh damn he hoped he didn’t look as pathetic as James did right now. 

Straightening, Remus held out his hand to the female agent who gave his fingers an overly strong shake. “Remus...Deputy Remus Lupin. And you are?”

“Agent Evans, and this is my partner Agent Black. I’m sure you know why we’re here so let’s not bother with small talk.” 

“Er yeah,” Remus said, feeling like he was getting scolded by a parent. “It’s not every day a murderer runs off into our woods.”

“Alleged murderer,” Agent Black corrected, “He was being transferred. For his trial.”

“Right,” Remus said, embarrassed at the slip. He’d obviously read that and completely forgotten when confronted with stormy grey eyes and cheekbones that could cut glass.

“We’ve seen Deputy Potter’s notes, maybe you could go over your own observations as we take a look at the site of the accident?”

“Don’t you want to talk to the witness first? Officer Longbottom should be discharged from the hospital today…” Remus attempted to ask but was cut off.

“We’ll do that after. Just in case a storm comes in and wipes away evidence. Unpredictable things happen in these woods. I hear,” Agent Black said.

“Okay,” Remus drew the word out before continuing. “Then let’s get going. I can drive, I think Jamie...Deputy Potter here has had a bit too much coffee…”

 

“No need. We rented a truck at the airport. I’ll follow you,” Agent Evans said, turning on one heel, grabbing her coat from a chair back and heading toward the door.

“Of course. I’ll be happy to lead the way for you and Agent Black.” Remus looked to James, who seemed borderline catatonic, then to Black who gave him his first real smile. It was more blinding than fresh snow and about as debilitating as an avalanche. Remus decided his best approach was to find the man as unappealing as possible, starting...now. He gave the man a blank stare.

“Sirius,” the man said all liquid grace as he righted himself from the wall he’d been leaning one perfect hip upon. 

“I...am?” Remus was thrown.

“No. My name. Is Sirius,” the man seemed to be trying to repress a laugh. “Deputy,” he said, nodding his head by way of goodbye, before turning to follow after his partner.

Remus let out a breath and slumped over James’ desk the moment they were alone. “That could have gone better.”

“You think?” James sputtered, running his fingers through his messy ratsnest of what some would call hair on a very good day. “I just...she...then I…”

“Okay, let’s get you to the car, before we get them even more upset at us. Can you walk?” Remus asked, righting James with a supportive arm before the other man shook it off. 

“Gotta play it cool. Be the best me I can be. You’ve got this Jamie Boy.”

Remus knew it would be a long day if James was already talking to himself.

* * *

As they drove through the late afternoon light and neared the crash site, James seemed to awaken from his coma and finally open up to Remus. 

“Remus, it’s her,” he said, and Remus swore he could almost see hearts in the other man’s eyes.

“Her Majesty the Queen or some other ‘her?’” Remus asked, talking a right onto the mountain pass.

“No, I mean Evans. She’s the one. The one I met at the academy. The one I fell in love with. The one who...kind of hates my guts.”

“Ah,” Remus said, starting to see the big picture. He’d never gotten the full story out of James, only that his delinquent days were over and he had a desperate need to succeed. Now he saw why. He wouldn’t put it past Agent Evans being a witch with the spell she seemed to have cast on his partner.

“So this was an unexpected meeting I’m guessing?” Remus asked as they rounded another turn.

“Yeah. I mean, I knew Evans-- Lily-- was in the FBI. I googled her a while back. You know, like friends do…”

“Sure.”

“But I had no idea she’d be assigned to our case. Oh fuck she’s literally on my case. Remus what do I do?” James seemed to melt into the seat.

“Well, for starters,” Remus slowed a bit as they neared the site, “Pull yourself together man. You’re a deputy, fast tracked for sheriff once McGonagall retires, and that’s no small feat. Be confident. But not cocky. Whatever you did in the past, it’s time to brush past it. Or better yet apologize. Show her you’ve changed. You’re not the same toe rag you used to be.”

“How’d you know her old nickname for me?” James gasped.

“Lucky guess,” Remus siged, side eying his partner. He wished someone could give him similar advise regarding how to act around the much too handsome Agent Black. “But regardless, you’re not the same kid she met. And apparently hated. You’re, what, thirty now? Accomplished, mature...damn it how many cups of coffee did you have, I feel closer to arresting you for intoxication than having you help me catch a perp!”

“Eleven. No fifteen. I don’t remember. But you’re right,” James took a deep breath. “I can do this. Hey maybe put in a good word for me with her partner?”

“Oh yeah. I’m sure Black’s just dying to hear more opinions from me, especially about who does or does not have sticks up their asses.”

“Please? Look, I just want to smooth things over with Lily. Show her I’ve changed, like you said. So maybe if we have to split up, I’ll go with her and you can take Agent Black for me?”

“Yeah, sure,” Remus sighed. Not that being around the other extremely fit man would be a hardship but he’d have to pretend extra hard not to be attracted to Sirius. And maybe he shouldn’t refer to him as Sirius, even in his head. Agent Black. Much better.

“Thanks, you’re a good friend,” James said, seeming to relax an infinitesimal amount. And just in time. Not wishing to further destroy the scene, Remus parked about ten yards from a snowy spot where yellow caution tape still fluttered in the wind around one thick tree. The agents parked behind him and got out, both sitting on the edge of the truck to change into snow boots. Looking down on Agent Black for the first time --damn the man was tall-- Remus noticed his slicked back black hair was just a tad too long as it curved behind his ears and back from a widow’s peak hairline. He wondered if this was a small act of rebellion or the man simply had no time for a haircut. Or perhaps he had a romantic partner who loved running their fingers through it… Remus stopped that line of thought in his tracks. And glared.

Sirius...Agent Black, looked up at him and gave Remus a quizzical look. 

“If you’re about ready, I’ll show you the scene,” Remus said, attempting to sound as standoffish as possible. It seemed to work, the professional air was back about the agents as they both rose to follow he and James.

“So this is the spot,” Remus indicated with his gloved hands, “Where Officer Longbottom’s patrol car went off the road yesterday around 4:00 pm. He stated that somehow while transporting him from the prison, Tom Riddle got out of his cuffs and opened the barrier, using said cuffs to choke him until he swerved, hitting this tree.” Remus pointed to the tree with the caution tape. “The car then rolled onto its side, hitting these rocks and shattering the windows. Riddle then escaped on foot.”

Taking a step off the road, Remus let his boots sink into the deeper snow of the surrounding forest.

“And why were you unable to recover a clean set of shoe prints deputy?” Agent Evans asked as they followed him further into the woods. 

“This area is a popular spot,” James interjected, pointing towards snow covered picnic tables. “With the recent snowfall and melt, the area was mostly mud, sloshy wet puddles. There were many footprints leading up the mountain, one side of which is used for tubing and sledding. We took several impressions but most seemed to be from sledders or led no farther than the creek.”

“Do you think he could have traveled up or down it in order to escape?” Agent Black asked, looking directly at Remus.

“Hard to say. The water is forty degrees at it warmest. He’d develop frostbite for sure if he stayed out with cold feet into the night. Hard to run away on frozen limbs.”

“So what do you believe happened?” Agent Black pressed as they began to hear the gurgle of the creek draw closer. 

Remus shook his head. “I don’t know. I get this feeling he didn’t run far, not in this weather and definitely not without leaving prints. Unless he somehow had help.”

Nodding, Agent Black turned to his partner who shrugged and continued onward. Seemed they were all back at square one. 

By the time they reached the small creek, Remus could see the fog rolling in. It crept in slowly, barely there whisps between the trees, but he knew that soon enough it would be so thick you could barely see five feet in front of you.

“We need to head back,” he stated and both agents gave him an incredulous appraisal. “Sorry but the fog comes in fast here in the evening. Trust me, you don’t want to be out in it. If we head back now we can make it to back to town at least.”

Looking to his partner, Black raised his perfect eyebrows. “We can always go interview Officer Longbottom. Doesn’t look like there’s much to see here.”

“Yeah, fine,” Agent Evans conceded and they headed quickly back through the snow. The golden light had begun to fade from the sky and with it the grey twilight that could be just as damning as the mountain fog. Though a seasoned mountaineer in these woods, Remus still thought it prudent to get back into town where the clear streets and lights provided more relief between the thick white wall. 

“Follow me back. I’ll go slow. If you have any trouble just flash your high beams and I’ll pull over.” Remus looked at the agents in turn before stepping into the driver's seat and James jumped in beside him. 

“They’re really pissed about the lack of evidence,” Remus said as he started the car and cranked up the heater. 

“We preserved it as well as we could. Not our fault there’s not much to go on,” James said, pressing gloved hands to the vents. 

“Maybe they’ll have more luck in the daylight tomorrow. Or get some new info out of Longbottom that he forgot. He was pretty banged up.”

“True. Hey they’re flashing their lights,” James said, turning in his seat. 

Sure enough, the other truck had slowed and Remus pulled over so they could see what was wrong. Getting out of the warmth of the cab into the biting chill was always the hardest part and he failed to repress a shiver. In the driver's seat, Agent Black rolled down his window. 

“Fog’s getting a bit thick,” he observed and Remus looked around. Apparently he was too used to it, this was nothing in comparison to a white out, but he didn’t wish to put the agents in danger by suggesting they keep driving. 

“Hop out, I’ll have Deputy Potter take over,” Remus suggested and Agent Black got out. The two men switched vehicles and somehow Remus found himself seated alarmingly close in a confined space with the much too attractive Agent Black. 

“So,” Black said after they pulled back onto the road, “tell me about.. your town.”

“Oh,” Remus said, a bit flustered as he’d finished that sentence in his head to instead be “tell me about yourself.” “Well Greyback Peak is pretty touristy during the winter, lots of sports enthusiasts since the ski slopes are a half hour away and it’s cheaper to stay here than there. Small regular population, low crime, even less murders.”

“You grow up here?” Black asked.

“No, well kind of. I was born here but my mom left when I was a baby. I came back after the academy. The town was expanding with the tourist industry boom and they needed more deputies to keep the peace.”

“I take it they’re not overly welcoming to outsiders?” Black observed.

“Or those born here who left. Took me years to gain back some trust and even now it’s dicy,” Remus replied. 

“So, what would an accused murderer be doing in your woods?”

“Freezing to death, hopefully,” Remus said with a snort. “The file didn’t have much info on Mr. Riddle. Anything extra you can tell me, or is it some hush hush high clearance only thing?” Remus asked without expecting an honest answer.

“Hmm,” Black said, and Remus could feel those grey eyes sizing him up. Remus wondered if he was found wanting. “Well, Riddle’s a cult leader, which is why I was assigned the case.”

“Your expertise is cult leaders?”

“Cults. In general. Yeah,” Black replied. “I had a case early on, solved it fast. Made a good impression on the higher ups and was transferred to the FBI to solve cult-related cases. You have no idea how many cults there are these days.”

“What’s the weirdest one you’ve worked on?”

“Pretty sure each one is weirder than the next,” Black laughed somberly. “Did you hear about The Vampire King?”

“Oh no,” Remus said, turning to Black.

“Oh yes. Believing Jesus was a vampire should’ve been a red flag for everyone. But then the man decided he was god, married his daughters, then their daughters after that. We were too late before he murdered nine of them, but he was stopped and the remainder saved,” Black finished, looking down at his gloves as if invisible blood stained his hands. 

“Damn,” Remus replied as he drove carefully down the mountain. 

“Yeah,” Black said with a sigh of deep resignation to the horrors of the world. A sigh Remus knew too well. 

“Greyback Peak has a weird cult history actually,” Remus said, attempting to navigate the touchy subject. He felt Sirius raise an eye at him before he turned to see it.

“So I guess in the seventies there was this crazy guy, called himself Salazar. Started off harmless. Wanted to reduce stress in people’s lives, lots of hippie meditation and self actualization. They had a retreat in the mountains here where they wanted to find themselves or whatever the point was. Then the leader started saying all the gods were one and were in his head. They ‘told’ him to do things. Harmless at first. Then they got weirder and weirder. How some races were above others, how they were born with magical potential could be unlock under a full moon. Finally he decided to sacrifice a child and all hell broke loose. No lives were lost but the cult was disbanded and Salazar killed himself before he could be taken to prison.”

“Damn, so much for a sleepy town,” Black said. “I think I remember the case, there were so many like it in the seventies though, it’s hard to keep track.”

“Tell me about it. I don’t think it would have stood out among the crazy Charles Manson-type cults though, if I hadn’t lived here I would never have heard about it,” Remus said as they finally got into town. Warm incandescent lights shown like fireflies high up on street lamps, projecting through the thin fog. “Hospital’s close, should be there in a few.”

“So what was your impression of Longbottom when you interviewed him? You’d never met before, correct?” Black asked, jotting something down on a notepad.

Remus nodded. “Well I was one of the first on scene of the crash. He was pretty beat up, had to pull him from the upturned car. He said he couldn’t remember anything, pretty typical with head wounds that severe. If I’m being honest, he didn’t seem the most competent officer to me. Not sure why he was assigned to transport such a high profile criminal.”

Black shrugged and rolled his neck. The man must be tired from all his travels. Remus wondered if he’d like a back rub. Then he shook his head to clear the thoughts. He was just lonely, damn how long had it been since he’d even been on a date?

He pulled into an empty parking spot and Sirius started to get out before Remus remembered something. Before he thought better of it, he put a hand on Black’s shoulder and the other man turned back, a questioning look in his eyes.

“Oh,” Remus pulled his hand back and tried to pretend he wasn’t embarrassed. “I almost forgot. I have a favor to ask.”

“Really?” Black said, his lips quirking in intrigue.

“Er, I for my friend. I mean for Deputy Potter. See he wanted me to put in a good word about him for you to pass onto Evans. Agent Evans. Um, how he’s changed, matured. Something like that.”

“Ah, and has he?” Black asked expectantly.

“Oh yes. He’s fast tracked to take over as sheriff as soon as McGonagall retires. He’s just a bit...thrown off his game. Between the escaped murderer…”

“Alleged murderer.”

“Right, and being up all night running at least a dozen cups of coffee, then you guys, well mostly Agent Evans showing up. Let’s just say he’s giving an inaccurate impression.”

“Ah. Well the deputy I was speaking to earlier told us to steer clear of you both, so I must say I’m intrigued to find out which is accurate,” Black replied.

“Let me guess. Deputy Snape?” Black nodded. “Yeah, he’s...well he’s not too keen on either of us. Especially Potter. Thinks he should be sheriff next. I don’t want to talk ill of him, but you can figure out for yourself who you’d rather work with.”

“I think I’m forming an opinion on that matter,” Sirius said with a small smirk before stepping out of the truck. 

Remus swallowed. Damn what was this man doing to him?

Either fortunately or unfortunatly he didn’t have time to ponder the matter as Agent Evans and James got out of the truck beside them and they all headed into the relative warmth of the hospital. It was a small building, mostly used to set and splint broken bones of skiers or car accidents victims who swerved off the icy roads. There was a small ER and a surgery ward but most patients were flown out after they were stabilized. A helipad sat close beside the parking lot with the helicopter blades lightly iced over in old snow.

After checking in with the night nurse, the foursome made their way into a small private room where Officer Longbottom had been recovering. Remus winced inwardly. If anything the man looked worse than yesterday. His entire face was swollen from the collision, lumpy and purple, one eye completely closed while the other opened just enough to squint at the television above. His left arm was in a sling and a green hospital gown hung from one pale shoulder. 

“Longbottom,” James said in greeting, causing the man to start. He recovered and tried to smile before realizing that was a bad idea and winced instead. 

“Potter and...Lupin was it?” Longbottom said through the garble of shattered teeth and bruised lips. 

“Well at least you remember some things,” Remus said, trying to lighten the mood. He hoped it didn’t sound as passive aggressive as he meant it. 

“Not much else though if that’s why you’re here,” Longbottom said before giving the other two a once over. “Or are these your replacements?”

“In a sense. Agents Evans and Black,” Evans said, not reaching to shake Longbottom’s hand, Remus noticed. 

“Ah the cavalry has arrived,” Longbottom mumbled. “I guess it’s because of me we’re in this mess.”

Neither Evans nor Black denied it or placated the man with soothing words as others had done, and Remus was glad of it. He was tired of this whole shitstorm and anyone who had lead to it, though he’d act professional to the man’s face.

“We just have a few more questions,” Evans said to Remus before turning to both he and James with a look of dismissal.

“Ah, we’ll be in the hallway,” Remus excused themselves and sat in a chair to wait beside James, who slumped over to do the same. He wasn’t sure when they’d get rest other than upright in a chair, so he might as well take it. Luckily a twenty minute nap was granted them both and Remus awoke to a warm hand on his shoulder. When he looked up into beautiful grey eyes, Remus was sure he was still dreaming. 

“Good nap?” Black asked, and Remus wasn’t sure if it was his sleep-addled brain, but the man did not sound an ounce sarcastic. 

“Oh. Shit sorry,” Remus yawned, stretching and hoping he hadn’t drooled. Black was smiling at him so this might come back to haunt him. “Longbottom remember anything new?” he asked as a hazy recollection of why he fell asleep in a hospital chair returned. 

“Not really. We asked which direction Riddle ran and he thinks it was up the mountain. Anything there we should be aware of to merit a late night pursuit?”

“More trees, maybe a derelict hunting lodge or two. Nothing heated or sustainable to life in the winter.”

The agents looked like that was the answer they’d expected. “If he’s there, he’s a popsicle. It can wait till morning,” Black said, looking to his partner who seemed unfortunately resigned to their fate to wait out the night.

“That wasn’t much of a talk you had with him,” Remus said, checking his watch.

“His wife called, and since we weren’t getting anything useful out of him we left him to it,” Evan said.

“Longbottom said he’s staying at the inn once they discharge him later. Want to show us where that is?” Black finished.

“Yeah, follow me again,” Remus said and they drove to the small inn on the far side of town. 

Dorcas, girlfriend of Marlene who owned the Sleepy Owl Inn, was manning the desk and looking more than a bit frazzled. She offered Remus a weak smile, as if she couldn’t wait to hear what fresh hell he was about to heap upon her or the establishment. 

“Easy, I come in peace,” Remus said, nodding his head to the stragglers behind. “Got some guests looking for a room for a night or two.”

“I was afraid of that,” Dorcas sighed and scratched a hand through her messy hair. 

“Last I heard, inns are kind of dependent on new guests,” Remus said, leaning tiredly on the wooden counter.

“And any other week I’d tell you you’re not wrong, but we’re booked solid.”

“Really?” James came up beside them looking dubious.

“Yeah, sorry guys. Some sort of solstice event at the Malfoy Estate, Marls is off doing laundry and fetching extra pillows from storage. We’re completely booked.”

“I wondered why town was so crowded today. Maybe one of the bed and breakfasts…” Remus started but was cut off.

“Also full, we checked. It’s a mess.”

“Can’t you swing something? They’re here helping us on... business, can’t exactly send them off down the mountain.”

Dorcas seemed to notice the stranger’s impeccable suits for the first time and put two and two together. Her eyes widened and she looked worriedly to Remus. “Anything I should know about?”

“Not sure yet. Just...lock the doors at night. And maybe during the day. But keep it quiet, we don’t want to start a panic,” James said in his incredibly official voice that should sound like a joke but actually made others step up and take notice.

“Okay…” Dorcas said, apparently wary but convinced. “Well, as far as beds go, I can do you a favor but you owe me. We’ve got a half room. Marls and I use it for breaks when it’s slow. There’s a twin bed to nap and small bathroom, but not sure it can accommodate two unless one of you like sleeping in a tub.”

Remus looked to the two agents and stepped off to the side for a chat. “What do you say?”

“I’ve slept in worse,” Evans said, looking around the lobby. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have a spare room, would you deputy?” Black asked, and Remus swore the corner of his lip twitched into almost a smile.

“I only have a couch...” Remus confessed while wondering why he would possibly offer such a thing, to allow this man, this temptation into his home.

“Sounds better than a tub,” Black shrugged and turned back to the front desk. “We’ll take it.”

Dorcas sighed in relief, calamity averted. It was a feeling Remus had no comprehension of at the moment. 

While Evans unloaded her luggage, Remus opened his trunk to allow Black to load his suitcase into his car. “Get some rest,” she ordered, “ I want us all out searching once it’s light. Which would be…”

“7:00 am,” Remus said, resigned as a night person with a morning wake up call could be. They dropped James back at the station before Remus started up the narrow road to his small cabin nestled against the mountainside. 

“Cozy,” Black said as they parked, and he sounded like he meant it. The cabin wasn’t much, but Remus was proud of it. He’d had to fix it up, much more than a coat of paint had been needed as the place was a water damaged mess, but now it was home. Leading them up a flight of wooden stairs over a rock outcropping dotted with pines, Remus opened the door into the living room. It was warmly decorated, fall colors and wooden furniture with a large stone fireplace off to one side. There was an russet orange couch that screamed 70s-- but damn Remus loved it-- standing proud on a fluffy cream rug and piles of books everywhere. If he’d known he’d be having company Remus definitely would have cleaned, but he was ordinarily a neat person despite the piles. It wasn’t his fault he’d run out of book shelves. 

“Excuse the mess,” he said politely as Black looked about. “Downstairs is the living room, obviously and kitchen. Up in the loft is my room and bathroom. You’re welcome to use it...the bathroom I mean.” Remus turned away before Black decided to take a jab at his accidental offering of the bedroom-- which he was completely sure the man had noticed. Remus was incredibly glad he was not prone to blushing.

When Black was silent, Remus was more worried than if the man had made a joke.

“I could cook us something for dinner but I’m pretty tired, if you’re okay with pizza I can heat one up, sorry there’s no delivery out here, do you like pepperoni, I only have pepperoni?” he rambled as he took off his coat.

“Any pizza sounds great,” Black said, setting his suitcase by the orange couch, careful not to topple one of the many stacks of books. “I take it you or your partner read a lot?”

Remus looked puzzled for a moment before he realized what Sirius was asking. “Ah, just me here, the books are all mine.”

Nodding, Black bent to scan a title, showing off an ass that Remus decidedly turned away from before he stared harder. “I’ll just, ah, put in the pizza.” A little voice in Remus’ head was telling him it was okay to look, but he shut it down quickly before it lead to anything further.

After turning on the oven and putting a pizza in, Remus made for the stairs, noticing Sirius still surveying his piles of books. “Do you mind if I change? I don’t normally wear my uniform around the house,” Remus said, attempting to find something to do with himself that would take him away from Black for at least a minute. 

“Don’t let me stop you. When I’m home I usually just throw my pants by the door the moment I walk in. Suits are such a bother,” Black said with an eye roll. Remus swallowed and attempted not to picture the other man removing any article of clothing. 

“Right, I’ll just be a minute.” Rushing up to the loft, Remus took a deep breath in the sanctity of his room. He could do this. He just hadn’t been laid in far too long and that’s why his libido was playing havoc on his brain. What was he thinking lusting after an FBI agent? No good could possibly come of that. 

After slipping into pajama bottoms, Remus was just pulling off his shirt when he heard footsteps on the landing outside his room. Of course it was Black, staring into his open doorway at him. Their eyes met for a crackling instant before Black looked away and to the side. 

“Um, the bathroom is...?” he began.

“Oh, yeah right there,” Remus said, indicating the only other door in the loft. 

“Right, I see it now,” Black said, stepping inside before even turning on the light.

Remus sighed and sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. There were no mixed signals there, Black was definitely staring at him. With something a little more than curiosity. Damn it, Remus knew this was a horrible idea. Only when he heard movement in the bathroom did Remus snap out of his mental stupor and decide to go back downstairs. Then he remembered he should probably put on a shirt before the man exited and got another free show. 

By the time Black was finished with what was probably a shower, Remus had pulled the pizza out of the oven. It was only when Black came downstairs, hair dripping slightly, that Remus realized he hadn’t given the other man a towel. The thought of Black wrapping his own towel around what was sure to be a perfectly sculpted body was unusually arousing. Remus bit his bottom lip and took a steadying breath. 

“Good shower?” he asked before taking a slice of pizza. He’d laid some out for him on the coffee table so they could sit on the couch, the dining table seemed so formal for pizza in pajamas. 

Black sighed and sunk into the cushions, one of the many reasons Remus loved the well worn couch. It was perfect for naps and relaxing after a hard day. “Yeah, thanks.”

“So where is home?” Remus asked searching for a safe platonic subject, wondering if the other man would open up or maintain a federal agent persona. Not that he’d been the stuffy suit Remus had imagined, no sign of a stick up that perfect ass, and Remus had looked.

“West Virginia. For now. Just due to work, hard to really call a place home when you’re only there one week out of every month,” Black replied. Remus could imagine, it was one of the perks of working in a small town, he was allowed to lay down roots. “And how about you, where did you live before coming back here?”

“All over really. My mum was a bit of a free spirit. We only really settled down once I entered high school. Before that we moved all across the US, probably every two years or so.”

“Sounds exciting,” Black yawned into the back of his hand. 

“It was when I was little. Then I started making friends and missing them once I left. Pretty soon I gave up on that, remained kind of a loner. That’s why I have so many books I guess,” Remus shrugged. 

Black gave him a sympathetic eyebrow furrow. 

“Anyway, what made you want to join law enforcement?”

“Oh,” Black looked thoughtful. “I guess it all started when my brother died.”

“Damn, I’m sorry,” Remus said, waring with himself as every instinct screamed to reach out and comfort the other man and yet knowing it would be highly inappropriate since they’d only first met. 

“It’s...well it’s not okay. But it is what it is. We weren’t close anymore, like we were as kids. He joined a cult actually. That’s what got me so interested in them. First hand experience and all. They never could pin the blame for his death, ruled it an accidental homicide but no evidence ever pointed to any of the cult members. I was in law school, it’s what my parents wanted, before you ask. So then I dropped out, joined the academy, became a detective, took on a cult case and got fast tracked into the FBI.”

“So are you still looking into his case?” Remus asked.

“Now and again. Nothing new in the way of evidence, even with advances in DNA, but I have my eye on it. I always have hope,” Black said with a sad smile.

“Sorry, I wish I knew what to say. I’m not exactly the deputy McGonagall sends out to deliver bad news,” Remus said, looking down at his folded hands.

“Don’t worry,” Black reassured him, “you don’t need to say anything. It’s good for me to talk about it… to talk about him.”

“What was he like? As a kid I mean?”

“Quirky,” Black said with an actual chuckle. “We were always daring one another to do stupid things. My parents were, well, not the most affectionate let’s say. So it was kind of us against the world, or that’s how it seemed. This one time we decided to open all my dad’s mail, replaced the letters with blank pages. He was so pissed.”

“That sounds hilarious,” Remus said, smiling at the man beside him. 

“We used to hide this ugly ass troll doll around the house to scare my mom. In her shoe, in bags of sugar, anywhere she’d be likely to look. I don’t know why we went looking for trouble, maybe we just wanted to get attention, any attention from them. Good or bad.”

“I get that,” Remus said, knowing how hard it was to pin down his flighty mum from her hippie ways. After a moment of comfortable silence Remus reached for the remote. “Want to watch some tv?”

“Sounds good,” Black replied and both men settled in with their pizza.


	2. Chapter 2

The next thing Remus knew, he was waking up on an orange cushion, bleary eyed, to the smell of eggs cooking on the stove. He was still on the couch, a blanket carefully draped over him that he was absolutely sure was not by his own doing.

Sitting up with a stretch and arching his back, Remus looked into the kitchen to see a suited up FBI agent working judiciously over the stovetop. 

“Morning,” Black said when he noticed Remus staring. “Sorry, you fell asleep and I didn’t have the heart to wake you, you looked so tired.”

“Oh,” Remus said, shaking his head to clear the dreams away. “Wait where did you sleep?”

“Ah, your bed,” Black replied, looking away. “Sorry.”

“That’s...okay,” Remus said, cursing the fact that he wasn’t awake enough to fully appreciate the fact that the man he’d been lusting after had fallen into his bed last night. If only he’d been in it too. No, Remus shook his head. Not this again. New day, new feelings.

“Anyway, we have time for breakfast before we have to head out,” Black said, “Hope you don’t mind my cooking.”

“Smells delicious. Let me go shower and I’ll be right back.”

Wishing he had time for more than just rinsing off, cause damn both he and his cock wanted to appreciate the thought of Black in his bed, Remus showered reluctantly quick before changing and making his way back downstairs. They ate and chatted before making their way back to the station, Remus casting small glances at Black when he hoped the man wasn’t looking. How a man could have such perfect skin, hair, eyes, everything really, was beyond him. If it wasn’t so damn cold out he’d wonder if he were still dreaming.

Once at the station they crammed into the conference room with the rest of the available staff. Agent Evans was there, within surprising proximity to James, though looking none too glad of it yet. Remus sighed and hoped they could at the very least patch things up so James could move on with his life. At the front of the room, looking immaculate and regally severe, Sheriff McGonagall stood tall surveying her officers. 

“Now then, most of you have met Agents Evans and Black,” she gestured with a long hand toward the agents, “and they’ll be helping guide us in the recovery of Riddle in whatever form that may take. We have a lot of ground to cover today and limited resources. We’ll start at Hog’s Hill and make our way along the river, up the mountain, and across any fields in the area before nightfall. Much of the terrain will be too covered for a proper search but trust your instincts on such matters. Anything that looks disturbed needs to be called in then properly checked. For safety I ask that you check in often. We’ve gridded the area and each of you will be given specific locations to search. In addition, Officer Longbottom will be along but seeing as he’s only recently discharged and doesn’t know the area, we will keep him at basecamp but will be available via radio. Any questions?”

Snape stood front and center, sallow and unimpressed as ever as he looked from McGonagall to the agents with a small shake of his head. “We’ve already searched along the river when Riddle first escaped. I don’t think it prudent that…”

“Deputy, that both was not a question nor a valid concern. If you have problems with how I run this operation, I suggest you voice them in private. Any actual questions?” McGonagall asked, eyes flicking astutely across the room. Notedly she did not look back at Snape, who to Remus’ disguised delight had turned a ghastly shade of whitish green. Exactly whose ass Snape was trying to kiss, if not McGonagall’s, was both an new and intriguing mystery to Remus, yet he wondered if the authorative redhead had anything to do with his shifting brown nosing. 

“If there’s anything further, be sure to radio me. Let’s move out,” McGonagall ordered and the uniforms scampered like tan beetles along the floor and out the door to their vehicles. Remus gave James a look and got a shrug in return. Black was quickly back at his side like he belonged there and Evans gave both men a nod. “Mind driving us up the mountain this time around?” she asked, and Remus was surprised to find her tone a lot less icy than yesterday. Instead there was a wary resignation to it that could be placed as either good or bad. Remus was quite curious. 

“How was the inn?” he asked as they made their way to his truck. 

“Good, very cozy. I ended up spending some time with Dorcas and Marlene. They’re...good people,” Evans said as if she had before been unwilling to admit it. 

“Watch out, our small town ways might grow on you,” Remus joked as the turned over the engine and backed out of his space. He had to put on the breaks suddenly, hissing out a curse as Snape sped discourteously by behind him. 

“That was uncalled for,” Black said with a frown, turning to Remus in the front seat. Remus shrugged, it was not unusual for Snape to take out his anger on anyone in his line of sight. Being snubbed by McGonagall was new and would no doubt bring forth some extra agression in the already ill tempered deputy. He didn’t wish to speak ill of his fellow officers, but Snape had always rubbed him the wrong way. Like an itch with no apparent bite, lingering just below the surface. Something about his passive aggressive comments, so subtle they were almost not offensive until you dug a bit deeper, had always made Remus feel like a target in the other man’s arrow path. He didn’t need to voice any of that to the agents though, it wasn’t his place and they could make whatever judgements they saw fit. 

“Severus has always been a bit…” Evans started but was cut off by James.

“Spiteful? Malicious?” James interjected.

“I wasn’t going to put it that way,” Evans said with a frown Remus caught in the rear view mirror. 

“You were at the academy together?” Remus guessed and the two in the back seat nodded. “He always had a thing for Lily.”

“Did not,” she shouted, then looked startled at her own abrasive tone. “We were friends,” she said more quietly.

They were silent after, no explanation to the passive tense of that particular verb, and Remus did not wish to pry. Black seemed to know more but was keeping to himself, drumming his fingers along the arm rest. 

Upon arrival at basecamp, McGonagall went over the grid and sent out each officer once they were properly equipped. “Check in at basecamp is at noon, then we go out again till dusk. Remember to stay in contact,” she warned as everyone split. Remus was forlorned to realize he wasn’t gridded to search near Black, but instead had both Snape and another newer officer, Mary McDonald, to his flanks. 

“See you at noon,” he said, starting off into the startling white. Snow glasses and hiking sticks helped him navigate up Hog’s Hill and he checked in regularly in winded breaths. He poked at holes, checked under sparse shrubs and even found a scrap of cloth which turned out to be part of a buried tent. But nothing that would indicate Riddle had gone this way. When he returned to basecamp at noon, it seemed luck hadn’t been on anyone’s side. The officers grabbed coffee and sandwiches and sat around recovering their strength. Remus huddled for warmth in the front seat of his truck and was surprised when the passenger door opened and Black folded himself smoothly in beside him. 

The man’s hair has flopped forward over his forehead on one side, less the slicked back agent and more roguish in his charm. Again Remus wondered how it would look long, tangled by fingers, mussed in passion. He shook his head and took a bite of his sandwich. 

“I just don’t get it,” Black murmured into a cup of coffee, black like his name. “There’s been no snow since Riddle’s escape, yet we can’t find a single viable footprint that isn’t muddled or wandering off toward a sledding hill accompanied by tiny boot prints. It makes no sense.”

“Have you talked to Longbottom today?” Remus asked, wondering if the officer remembered anything further. He’d had not time to offer more than a wave to the worse for ware man before his departure up the Hog’s Hill earlier.

“Yeah, nothing new. Still something about going up the river, thinks checking out hunting lodges is a good idea despite the cold. Either the man’s befuddled or incompetent.”

“Why can’t it be both,” Remus sighed and leaned his head back before he thought better of the comment. His eyes drifted to Black who chuckled. 

“Oh it definitely can. Speaking of interesting officers, Snape paid me a visit. Wandered into my grid for a little chat.”

“And how did that go?” Remus asked warily.

“About as expected. Wanted me to put in a good word with Lily. Somehow he’s not quite as persuasive as you though.”

“Well I was doing it for a friend, not for myself,” Remus replied with a shrug. “Altruism and all that.”

“She’s giving James a chance, well more so than before,” Black muttered, and they both gazed out the window, Lily’s fiery hair like a beacon even in the brightest of white. James stood by, handing her a coffee and smiling softly. Damn the man was smitten. 

“Apparently men can’t resist a competent woman,” Remus said with a short laugh.

“But you can?”

“What makes you say that?”

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“What game are you playing at Black?” Remus asked. The man wasn’t subtle, only crowds seemed to dampen whatever magnetic force seemed to pull Black toward himself.

“No game, it was only a curiosity,” Black said with another shrug, the crinkle of his down jacket loud in the silence. 

“Well you’re not exactly smitten over your partner, what keeps you from a competent woman, if I may ask?”

“The same as you,” Black said, not at all criptitcally, turning with a quirk of an eyebrow and a sideways smirk. Remus’ breath caught in his throat. It was a small town. He was careful. Things got out, got around, and though he hadn’t let his guard down Black saw right through it, broke his shield like it was made of paper and crumpled it at his feet with a smile that undid him. Apparently satisfied, the agent leaned toward Remus, just bare inches, but the intimacy seemed suffocating. Then a quick movement and he opened the door and hopped out, sure-footed in the snow, with a lift of his chin. “And call me Sirius,” he said before his tracks were the only tether between them. Remus remembered to breath. 

Then he remembered what a bad idea mixing work and pleasure were and wondered if Marlene could indeed find room for Black at the inn. Even if it was in a bathtub. 

* * *

When he exited his vehicle Remus checked in with McGonagall before starting back onto the trail, needing something to do, some sort of distraction from Black and his apparent advances. Snape gave him a quelling glare as he passed, nothing new, but there was a sneer to his grin that gave Remus pause. Like the man knew something and found it to his great advantage. If it had to do with the case, the man would surly share it with McGonagall or Evans for his gain, so it was something else. Something personal. Remus shivered and not from the cold. 

Trekking back up the hill, Remus stuck to his grid, waving once to Deputy McDonald two hills over and later to Yaxley all the while listening for noises beyond the crunching of his own boots in icy snow. Unbidden, his thoughts kept drifting back to Black. The ebony of a raven would remind him of the shine of the man’s perfect hair or the exposed granite under snow was like a dull version of silvery eyes that spoke to him with unsaid words. Would it really be so bad to give in, have a night, or even just an hour in a lover’s arms, if that was really what the man was offering? It would relieve a hell of a lot of tension, allow him to think clearer, keep his mind on the case. Or maybe it would worsen things, make work awkward as Black regretted and Remus only hungered for more. 

Dashing his thoughts was an unnatural structure that caught Remus’ eye, sharp against the organic spirals and lines of nature. 

“I think there’s a hunting lodge ahead, I’m going to check it out,” Remus spoke into the radio at his shoulder before also relaying his coordinates. 

He clicked it to silent before unclipping the strap over his gun for easy access. Not that Remus expected trouble, but it was better to be prepared for anything. There were no tracks leading to the cabin, but the snow was patchy in places from the warmth of rocks and dripping trees so it was hard to be sure. The place looked disused, probably a relic of the seventies or earlier, the roof marred by holes and gashes from fallen limbs. Gapes formed in wooden frames that could once have been called windows and the door looked to be off at least one hinge. Remus took careful steps forward, checking for sounds and signs of life. 

Finding none, he eased open the precarious door and shined his flashlight within. The room was sparse and speckled in trash and piles of dead pine needles. An iron stove stood rusty in one corner while what was once the bones of a chair scattered across another. Remus didn’t take a step inside, instead he knelt and scanned for prints. There were the old scuffings of shoes, but nothing recent. Cigarette butts decayed in the dirt, remnants of teens gone astray, while above carved into the wooden walls was graffiti to mark the woes of youth. Swear words, carvings of dicks, even a skull and snake were crudely drawn, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. 

Remus called in the all clear over the radio, looking around one last time to insure he hadn’t missed anything vital. A crunch of snow made him turn toward the door, the suddenness startling, but he’d barely made a quarter circle before everything turned white with pain and then darkness overtook him. 

When he awoke it was to startling grey and Remus blinked in search of color to the monochromatic world. Then he realize they were Black’s eyes and his body relaxed and began to feel again. First pain, the back of his head throbbed in time with his pulse. Then cold, cold all over except a beacon of warmth radiating from the hand holding up the back of his neck as the man crouched beside him in the darkness of the cabin’s doorway. 

“Hey, welcome back,” Black said, a worried look furrowing his brow. A flash of red in his peripheral vision caused Remus to turn his head with a groan of pain. Lily stood nearby, radio to her mouth, looking worriedly down at them both. 

Remus’ tongue felt thick as he attempted to speak but all he could offer up was a groan. 

“It’s okay, just give yourself a minute,” Black instructed, helping him sit up a bit. Remus felt like all the blood in his body had pooled in his head and pulsed there like a second heartbeat.

“Fuck that hurts,” he finally managed, raising a hand to the back of his head. Luckily his fingers came back without blood, not needing stitches was a minor blessing really.

Looking down with concern, Black seemed torn between wanting to spring into action and stay there until Remus could hold up his own body. “What happened? We got worried when we didn’t hear from you for an hour.”

“Not sure, one minute I was looking around this cabin, the next I was out. Someone definitely hit me over the back of the head,” Remus recalled as it came rushing back to him.

“God damn it,” Black growled and looked up at his partner. With a nod she radioed that particular info into basecamp. The staticy blast of McGonagall’s response was too painful to make out and Remus closed his eye.

“Oh no, come back to me,” Black said, shaking Remus slightly.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Remus murmured, opening his eyes once again. 

“We’ve got medics on the way, should be here in twenty,” Lily relayed, bending to kneel beside them.

“Let me try to get up, maybe we can meet them halfway.” 

After a failed attempt that led to Black wrapping a welcomed arm around him, Remus was able to stand, wincing but vertical, and the trio made their way down the trail. The man’s grip was tight and reassuring and Remus might be slightly concussed but he had the wherewithal to bask in the feel of warm gloved fingers holding close to his ribs.

“Shit, I forgot to document the scene,” Remus said, suddenly stalling in the snow when they were half way down the mountain. 

“Done and done,” Evans said, pulling out a camera. “Though we couldn’t find evidence of what you were hit with, there were footprints. Well your footprints, which looked like they’d been stepped in to mask whoever followed you.”

“McGonagall’s tracking everyone’s GPS so if anyone went near you we’d know. Though they’d be pretty stupid to not ditch their unit before pulling something like this,” Black said with a resigned sigh.

“Or it could be anyone from town, we weren’t exactly subtle in our motorcade of red and blue lights up the mountain this morning,” Remus sighed, frustrated by yet another loose end in this fucked up ball of yarn.

* * *

Hospitals were boring as hell, especially when Remus knew he would be more assistance in the field than propped up in the world’s most uncomfortable bed. He felt more irritated than concussed, why did tests have to take so long and involve so much poking, prodding, and unnecessary waiting? 

James had stopped by, followed by McGonagall who debriefed him, mentioning that she couldn’t track anyone else’s GPS to his location, which was not the least bit shocking. She left promptly to return to work, telling Remus to get some rest and they’d reevaluate in the morning. No one had found any evidence of Riddle on the mountain either, leading to a whole new level of frustration and questions. Cadaver dogs were being called in but wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow, and despite the stall, there was an air of relaxation in McGonagall’s tone, for no man could survive this many days in the frigid mountains of Greyback Peak. 

“Bad news I’m afraid. You’re staying the night,” Black said, sauntering in like an italian tailor’s dream while Remus languished in the hospital gown that could not meet a dictionary definition of the word ‘clothing.’ 

“You’re joking,” Remus grumbled, irritation climbing to the surface. After a dose of ibuprofen he barely even had a headache, what could they possibly need him to stay overnight for?

“Luckily, I am,” Black smirked, holding up Remus’ car keys. Sighing and slumping into the pillows, Remus threaded a hand through his hair.

“Not funny Black.”

“It’s Sirius remember? And if you can’t, I’m glad to ring a nurse to tell them your memory is spotty instead of spiriting you away for dinner with James, Lily and I.”

“Oh. Fine. Sirius.”

“Better,” he nodded approvingly. “Also, to insure your mild concussion stays that way, I hope you don’t mind another night with a house guest.”

Remus was not fine with that, Sirius was enough of a temptation without being in close proximity to a bed, or couch, or countertop...nope he wasn’t thinking along those lines. “Whatever.”

“Good, Lily said she’d much prefer your bed to the couch though and wondered if you snored?”

“What, no what?” Remus blinked at the other man until a grin confirmed the rouge was joking. Again.

“Just testing to see if you’d miss me,” the agent said with a wink. “Now hurry up and change, we’re starving.”

Frazzled and just a bit thrown off his game, Remus hurriedly changed once Sirius left the room and rushed the signature over his discharge papers. Lily and James were waiting downstairs and they all hopped into his truck after handing James the keys. 

“Just no sudden stops,” Remus instructed, lightly touching the back of his head as James laughed and set off for their favorite Italian place.

* * *

“So, just how bad was James in his academy days?” Remus asked after the waiter had taken their order. The place was crowded, bustling with tourists, but they’d managed to snag a corner booth somehow. Perks of the job or dumb luck, Remus wasn’t sure but entirely grateful. 

James looked to Lily with a wince that said ‘be kind.’ 

“I’ve heard stories,” Sirius said as James gave a hopeful look.

“So she does talk about me?”

Sirius grimaced and took a drink of his iced tea. 

Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to Remus, taking a breath before replying. “He just, never took things seriously. Which got on my nerves. I had to work so hard just to get there and he treated it like a joke.”

Scratching the back of his neck, James had the wherewithal to look ashamed. 

“If it helps, I think we would've gotten along really well,” Sirius said quietly over his glass. James grinned over at him.

“Why, what did you do?”

“Let’s just say no one in my graduating class ever found out why their uniform suddenly sprouted puff paint monograms and bedazzled epilats.”

“Oh lord,” Remus and Lily said in unison. 

“Marry me,” James countered with a flutter of eyelashes that caused Sirius to burst out laughing. 

“Somehow I don’t think I’m your type.”

“A man can change,” James said with a heavy sigh as Lily raised an eyebrow beside him. 

“Then shall we change Sirius to bunk at yours?” Remus asked and received a frown from Sirius and a dramatic gasp from James.

“And deprive you of telling him to update Lily what a great guy I’ve grown into? I think not,” James said resolutely.

“He has many great traits,” Remus conceded, “on his applications, his best reference is always himself.”

“It was a typo!” James exclaimed, “Anyone can accidently put their name there instead of the header.”

Lily looked to be biting her lower lip to cover a smile. 

“That’s the exact expression McGonagall made when she read it,” Remus chuckled and James hid his head in his hands on the tabletop. Reaching over in brotherly commiseration, Sirius gave him a pat on the shoulder before standing.

“I’m going to wash my hands, be right back.”

“But really, has it been okay having Sirius stay with you? I feel bad putting you on the spot like that,” Lily said a moment after Sirius left the table.

“It’s not a bother, really,” Remus assured her, “he even cooked breakfast this morning.”

“Oh,” Lily said, a small smile gracing her lips. With a move that startled Remus she scooted closer on the seat and whispered in his ear. “I don’t mean to assume anything on your part, but you know he’s a bit taken with you right?”

Remus played with the condensation on his glass. “I was wondering.” 

“Sorry, I’m sure that’s a bit awkward,” Lily said, putting a hand gently on his shoulder. 

James looked at them frantically from across the table, mouth agape and just about ready to spill his drink if he didn’t set it down soon. 

“Look, if you lean in just a bit closer I think we can cause James’ head to explode,” Remus whispered back and Lily seemed to remember the other man at the table. 

“Black!” James said, soft but frantic when the agent reappeared, giving him a look that conveyed nothing but confusion. Sirius laughed before sitting beside the other man. 

“Well isn’t this cozy,” came a voice from behind. Turning, Remus found Snape, a smile that oozed contempt twisting his thin lips. 

“Ah, Severus,” Lily said cordaly as the other gave a stiff “hey” in greeting. The warmth of Lily by his side notably retreated with the other man’s arrival and Remus frowned slightly as the change that seemed to come over them all, a coldspell of Snape’s own making.

“Getting acquainted with everyone I see,” Snape said, looking only to Lily. Though his words were not themselves threatening, his tone was anything but. 

“You know, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by everyone I meet here,” Lily said, seemingly ignoring any negative undercurrents.

“Well, if you ever get tired of how... queer the town can be, my table’s always open,” Snape said with a lift of his chin before eying each of them and sauntering back to his seat.

With white knuckles Remus gripped his glass, breathing through clenched teeth. It took more than a moment to release his stranglehold on the poor iced tea. Luckily none of them seemed to notice as they were glaring at Snape’s retreating back. 

“What’s his problem?” Sirius asked, turning back to the other three who had the unfortunate prior knowledge of Snape’s horrid disposition.

Lily shook her head. “He used to be...I don’t know. I felt sorry for him, he had no friends, I thought I could help. Then at the academy he started saying some incredibly racist, sexist and homophobic things to others, it was all hearsay and no one could prove it so nothing was done, but I no longer could be friends with someone like that. I see he hasn’t changed much.”

“Oh no, he’s much worse now,” James said, sliding down a bit in the bench. “He’s learned subtlety.”

“Don’t let him get to you,” Lily said, eying each of them in turn. “He’s just trying to get back at me now.”

“There’s a lot more to it than that,” James sighed, “But I’m too beat to dwell on that asshole for another minute.”

“Same,” Remus said, though once their food arrived it turned to ash in his mouth as he replayed the word “queer” over and over in his head and wondered what had given him away and what Snape would do with his newfound knowledge.

It was hard to concentrate on the rest of the meal and Remus felt like a zombie nodding through the conversation until he and Sirius were back in his car and heading home. After more painkillers he felt fine to drive despite the fog growing thick up the mountainside, falling like an ombre scarf, twilight navy to grey, it filled the heavens and fell upon the windshield, obscuring the path mere feet ahead. 

“Are you concentrating on the road or lost on some other path?” Sirius asked after more than a minute of silence.

“Oh. Sorry,” Remus attempted to shake his thoughts free of the binding of Snape’s words. “Just Snape. He’s good at getting under my skin.”

“Ah,” Sirius said, drumming his fingers along the door. “You know, he was the closest to your grid when you...went silent. Sheriff McGonagall asked him to check in on you, he said he knew the exact cabin. Then he went to one in the complete opposite direction.”

“Huh,” Remus said, “That’s odd. This area was his to patrol last summer, he should know it well. Though I’m grateful. If I’d woken in his arms, I would have known I’d died and gone straight to hell.”

The feeling of Sirius’ eyes upon his as he laughed made Remus bite his bottom lip. “I hope you didn’t feel that way awakening in my arms.”

“Oh,” Remus started, pulling off to the shoulder to allow another car to pass on the narrow road. Pausing, he didn’t immediately take the truck out of park even when the vehicle had safely passed. “No, not at all. I just remember a lot of grey.”

“Grey?”

“Your eyes,” Remus said, fingers flexing and unflexing on the steering wheel. This was stupid, why was he saying this? Did they slip something extra in his meds to loosen his tongue and stave his brain of oxygen? Because it was getting hard to think. 

Remus turned down the heat as he began to feel flushed. The weight of Sirius’ gaze could not possibly hold magical properties, yet his body reacted nonetheless. Swallowing, he reached to pull the truck from park but Sirius’ own hand stilled his.

Then Sirius leaned in, slightly, an offering that Remus could either take for his own or pretend never occurred. The moment seemed to both stretch for an eternity and yet end in an instant, endorphins and adrenaline joining while Remus’ mind contemplated a fork in the road and decided exactly what pat to take. As Remus leaned forward Sirius closed his eyes, long dark lashes falling like curtains to hide the silver of moonlight behind those lids. 

And then Remus saw that path, the loneliness, the heartache, and he threw himself a life preserver and leaned back. It was only another second that Sirius was frozen in time, still ready and willing and Remus studied him, weighing his decision and kicking himself for not jumping at such a chance that he’d never have again. The man was a Greek god come to life, and no one spurns a god without consequences. 

Frowning, Sirius opened his eyes and saw Remus, near but far, simply looking at him. 

“Well this is different,” Sirius said, drumming his fingers again. A nervous habit Remus was going to miss when the man was no longer by his side.

“I...it’s a bad idea.”

“Is it?” Sirius asked, clearly frustrated. “So what is it about me that doesn’t quite fit your standards deputy?”

Wincing, Remus looked down at his hands, stilling himself for the steel of the other man’s gaze.

“It’s not that. God knows, finding you attractive is not the problem.”

“So what is? I think you owe me that at least,” Sirius said, mouth a thin line, negative as the displeasure Remus had caused.

“You’re fucking gorgeous. Sirius you must know that. I’m pretty sure you belong in Hollywood or some, I don’t know, underwear catalogue that only royalty can order from.” Sirius seemed to soften slightly at the nonsensical words and Remus took care with his next. “Look, I don’t have much out here. Hell, I can’t even remember when I last went on a date. And looking at you, your dapper suit, your city ways, your absolute perfection. I just know you’ll leave in a day, two days, a week, and take my heart with you. I can’t do it.”

Remus didn’t know he’d say that last bit until it came unbidden from his lips. But he knew it was true, every word. Sirius could be his salvation or his undoing and he couldn’t risk it. 

“Oh.” Sirius shifted in his seat as silence filled the vehicle. Remus was out of words so he simply stared into the fog, watching small droplets alight on the glass only to fall like tears down the window. “I wouldn't want that either.”

Relief flooded through Remus, rushing through his veins, enlivening him after being frozen to his seat. Looking over, Sirius looked thoughtful, grey eyes, seeing but not watching, his thoughts wandering as he looked into the fog, seaking answers. Remus didn’t wish to interrupt, so he simply put the car in drive and got back on the road, winding further up the mountain, higher into the mist.

Once they reached home, Sirius still seemed contemplative yet not in way that built barriers between them. 

“I think I’m just going to go upstairs to read and rest before bed,” Remus said, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it by the door. 

“No problem,” Sirius said, doing the same. “I’ll be right up.”

“Right...huh?” The domesticity of the statement almost had Remus agreeing with it before he realized how utterly absurd it was between two men who had only met yesterday.

Giving him a raised eyebrow, Sirius bent to take off his boots. “You have a concussion, remember? I have to make sure you don’t die in your sleep or something.”

“I don’t think that’s how any of this works,” Remus said, both wanting and not wanting Sirius in his bedroom for various reasons. 

“Would you rather I come tromping up the stairs and wake you every couple of hours?” Sirius asked, apparently taking his new job much too seriously.

“No, but you can’t…”

“Look, I’m not going to sleep in your bed or anything. Just give me a chair, god knows I’ve slept in worse, and stop fighting this unless you want me to ring your doctor.”

Defeated, Remus crossed his arms at the staircase. He was pretty sure Sirius was overreacting, but after one rejection he was not about to take the man to court on this particular point. 

So Remus went upstairs and changed into his sleeping shirt, with pants because he was not going without while Sirius was in the room, and crawled into bed with a book. Within minutes Sirius had joined him, plopping down in an old plush chair in a corner. The man looked to be going over a file of notes on the case, his brow furrowing as he’d scribble something down every so often. By nine Remus was starting to drift off, and with sleep came addled thoughts and all the what-ifs. Maybe it wouldn't’ be so bad if Sirius at least lay beside him. As comfy as that chair was, it was no bed.

“You’re welcome to sleep here,” Remus said, voice cracking with exhaustion.

Silver eye looked sharply from under a furrowed brow. “What happened to it being a bad idea?”

“I said ‘sleep.’”

“And I’m saying ‘no,’” Sirius replied, the finality evident in his tone. Remus was about to tell him to stop being stubborn but couldn’t get a word in before the other man replied, weary and seemingly on the edge of cracking. Remus didn’t want to break the man any more than he already had.

“Just...get some sleep Remus, okay?”

“Yeah, you too,” Remus said, downing another ibuprofen before nodding off into a strange dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sex at the end of this chapter

Remus awoke much too early with a pounding headache. Wincing, he blinked blearily, adjusting to the darkness of the room, before sitting up in bed. Sirius was there, slumped and sleeping in the chair, neck at an odd angle that could not be conducive to restful slumber. Realizing he needed pain pills that could not be taken on an empty stomach, Remus swung his legs over the side of the bed, stepping softly on cool creaky floorboards toward the other man. He shook him softly, a hand to one shoulder, pulling Sirius gently from sleep. The man started, a small panic alighting his eyes before they adjusted to see Remus before him.

“You alright?” Sirius asked, voice rough and undeniably sexy with sleep. Remus pushed the thoughts aside and grabbed gently at his arm.

“Yeah, I need to eat something with my meds. Sleep in the bed okay? You need it.”

Seemingly too groggy and addled to argue, Sirius crawled under his sheets and was out in an instant. So Remus crept downstairs, made himself some toast and took his meds, sitting straight up on the couch so the back of his head didn’t touch anything until they decided to kick in. 

After feeling semi-human again, Remus showered, shaved and got ready for the day. He realized his hair was getting a bit long as he looked in the mirror, something much more noticeable when wet since the his sandy blond waves tended to wander every which way. Mussing it and hoping it looked natural, Remus wandered into the bedroom, towel around his shoulders and waist, and grabbed his clothes as Sirius slept. When it was time to wake Sirius, Remus sat on the bed, taking in the moment of peace before waking. The man’s face was slack in sleep, unlined with worry or care, beautiful even smooshed into a pillow. He slept on his stomach, head turned to the side, arms circling the pillow like a lover pulled to his chest. Remus was not prone to envy often, but that pillow sure gave him pause. 

Softly he touched the other man’s arm, skin warm from sleep and bedding, pushing at him harder when Sirius did not awaken initially. The scene felt so domestic, so perfect, as if Remus had not turned down last night’s offer but instead embraced it and Sirius both. He would awaken his lover from bed, they’d kiss--or more--before going about their day and ending there again once the sun had set. Maybe in a perfect world, one where Sirius would stay or Remus could leave. Not this world.

“Morning?” Sirius asked, part question part greeting, as Remus remembered to remove his hand. 

“Yeah, I’ve got breakfast ready if you want any,” Remus said, watching Sirius’ face soften as he nodded against his pillow. 

“Okay, be right down.”

If only every morning could be like this.

* * *

“Well shit,” Remus said, walking around his truck. A flat tire, and just as they were about to leave for work.

Sirius ducked down to survey the damage and clicked his tongue. “Looks like you ran over a nail.”

“Great,” Remus sighed, tilting his head to the radio at his shoulder. “Hey Potter, come in?”

“Remus? What’s up?”

“Got a flat, you mind swinging by to take Black in while I deal with this?”

“Yeah, be there in ten.”

Remus looked to Sirius and shrugged. Not much they could do about it. 

Luckily Remus was on good terms with his mechanic who said she could deal with the tow truck and have the car back at the station by noon. Remus made a mental note to send Pandora Lovegood some nice whisky or something for Christmas. With nothing else to do, Remus jumped in James’ truck with Sirius and they headed to the station to await McGonagall’s orders.

A much more relaxed atmosphere settled over the station than the previous day. Cadaver dogs and their handlers had been called in to check around the river and up the Hog’s Hill, so only half the officers along were required to continue the search. The rest milled around the station, back to regular cases or patroling the town. Everyone seemed to agree that Riddle the human popsicle would be found by nightfall.

The only ones who seemed skeptical seemed to be the agents, and Remus was not one to dismiss their instincts. Black especially seemed a bit on edge, though he was about to go out into the field himself to help with the search. 

“I don’t like it,” he said once again, leaning one hip on Remus’ desk. Remus mumbled something that sounded like an agreement as he sipped his coffee. There was definitely something off about the whole thing, though men disappeared into the mountains without a trace all the time. Maybe not his mountains, but still. 

Disappearing into McGonagall’s office, door closed for fifteen minutes, Sirius reammurged looking determined. “Lupin,” he said, grey eyes crossing the room and somehow causing him to be both afraid and slightly turned on by the commanding tone. Swallowing, Remus got up and made his way in, shutting the door behind himself. McGonagall sat, looking none too pleased, on the other side of her neatly organized oak desk. 

“Deputy, have a seat,” McGonagall said as Sirius remained standing to the side of the room, looking every inch the stoic FBI agent. “After yesterday’s encounter with your unknown assailant, both Agent Black and I agree it would be best for you to remain out of harm’s way…”

Remus opened his mouth to protest but was cut off with a severe look. 

“That being said, we’d like instead for you to look over some of the Riddle files. Black feels like something is missing and I’m inclined to agree with him. A second set of eyes won’t hurt and we’ve issued you clearance. I’ll set you up in the conference room. Now these files are for your eyes only, I cannot impress upon you enough that anything you find must only be shared with either I or either of the federal agents.”

“I’ve also requested some files to be sent to you, but as they will need to be dug out of the town records, they’ll either arrive later today or tomorrow morning,” Sirius said. “I’d appreciate any help you can give us while we’re out in the field.”

“Okay, sure,” Remus said, a bit taken aback. This was some high clearance shit and he was floored that Sirius trusted him this fully after only a couple days. 

“Great, we’ll be in touch,” McGonagall said by way of excusing him. 

Grabbing his coffee, Remus made for the conference room and had only just sat down when Sirius entered, arms stacked with folders and a book or two. If librarians looked like this more people would read for fun, Remus mused before remembering it would be all business between them. But when Sirius set down the pile and smiled over at him he swore he had amnesia. There was no forgetting when Sirius Black looked at you like that, like you were all that mattered in the world.

“Trying to keep me on a leash?” Remus asked before remembering he should think before he spoke things that could be taken wrong. 

At least Sirius had a sense of humor about it. “Tempting, but honestly I’d just like a fresh set of eyes. Keeping you from concurrent concussions is only secondary.”

“Detective work really isn’t my thing,” Remus attempted to confess.

“Please. I’ve seen the piles and piles of true crime books at your place. Something tells me your talents have been wasted, or at least not properly excavated until now. Prove me wrong if you like, but I know you like a good mystery.”

Remus shrugged. He couldn’t deny his true crime addiction, not with such evidence strewn about his home. “Alright. Guess I’ll radio if I find anything.”

“Same.”

“Be careful,” Remus added. He didn’t know why, it was stupid, they didn’t have that kind of relationship, but thinking of Sirius getting hit over the head, alone in the mountains, or worse, tugged at something deep within his chest.”

“You too,” Sirius replied, smiling softly before closing the door behind him. It took a few moments before Remus could refocus enough to remember to breath. 

* * *

Unknown hours had passed by as Remus read paper after paper, mind whirring with thoughts on Riddle, when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Blinking to focus on something three dimensional, Remus stood, shook off a sudden dizzy spell, and made his way slowly to the door. 

Another officer, Carrow, stood waiting with an envelope in his hand. “Mail,” he said in a bored tone, like he was above handing another human being a piece of paper wrapped in another piece of paper. “Oh also, your mechanic came by, your car’s fixed up. She left it on the street since she didn’t have the lot code, here’s your keys.”

“Thanks,” Remus said, frowning down on the envelope. There was no return address and his name and the department’s location were typed off center. Something about it seemed odd so Remus only handled the corner of the envelope before pulling on some gloves. He opened it carefully, retrieving a single sheet of paper from within and unfolding it. Big bold letters, cut straight from magazine headlines were cobbled together like some Hollywood movie ransom note. “LEAVE” was all it said. Remus frowned. Though threatening in nature, the whole thing seemed so odd, so clumsy. Nevertheless he rose to alert McGonagall and figure out what the hell to do next.

Apparently the next steps were keep quiet and constant vigilance. The letter was taken into evidence to check for fingerprints and saliva, but not much else could be done immediately. McGonagall promised an officer to watch over Remus’ house tonight incase the apparent stalker knew where he lived, but these matters always seemed to end in impotence on law enforcement’s part. So Remus went back to reading, his brain trying to invent pieces to a puzzle he wasn’t sure actually existed. 

By late afternoon Sirius had returned, a light dusting of snow in his hair. As it melted it sparkled in the light, as if the man needed to look any more otherworldly beautiful. Remus shook his head as Sirius entered the room, closing the door quickly behind him. 

“So how was…”

“Is your truck back?” Sirius asked, looking Remus over from top to bottom in an obvious way that made Remus take pause.

“Yeah, should be parked out front,” he replied frowning.

“Damn it. You might want to alert McGonagall, but there’s a giant rock through your front windshield.”

“What?” Remus stood up so quickly his head spun. Sirius was at his side in a second but Remus shook him off and made for the door. 

They both trudged out into the light snow and denser fog, Remus minus a jacket, as he crossed the street to find his truck sporting a web of cracks with a giant rock nestled in the middle. Remus took a deep breath and stared up at the heavens, feeling as small flakes fell onto his warm cheeks and made his eyelashes flutter. If someone up there was punishing him, he was in the most annoying circle of hell ever. Suddenly Sirius was there, hand on his shoulder, the only thing keeping him from kicking at his tire or something equally ineffectual. 

“Let’s go in and inform McGonagall. And get some photos for an incident report. This was no accident,” Sirius said, the concern evident in his low tone.

“Yeah,” Remus replied, wiping his hands down his face. “What the actual fuck is going on?”

Sirius shook his head, giving him a moment before leading him back inside. They wasted an hour on photos and an incident report before Remus was able to call the mechanic for the second time that day. She was closed but said she could get to it first thing in the morning. “That’s fine, just add it to my bill,” Remus sighed. 

“Right,” said Pandora, “so new windshield plus two tires…”

“Wait what?” Remus was confused. “I only had one flat.”

“Oh,” the Pandora seemed taken aback. “I asked the officer I dropped the keys off with to tell you. There was a nail in your other front tire. Wasn’t flat yet, but the moment you drove over it, it would’ve given you a nasty blow out.”

Remus froze. This was very deliberate. Someone was trying to sabotage his truck. But they also wanted him to leave?” He pondered the strangeness of it all for a moment.

“Um, that alright deputy?”

Remus completely forgot he was still on the phone. “Yeah, right of course. Forgot, sorry, long day. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Hanging up, he pulled Sirius into the conference room and shut the door. 

“Woah, how forward,” Sirius said but Remus shut him up with an eyeroll. 

“Someone’s trying to...I don’t know...scare me.” He told Sirius about the note. Sirius leaned, ankles and arms folded, on the edge of the table and took it all in. “Also, when Carrow gave me back my keys and this letter, he didn’t tell me about the other nail. The one that was recently hammered in but hadn’t caused a flat yet.”

“Do you think he was purposefully withholding that information or simply forgot?” Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t know him well. He’s better friends with Snape than James or I.”

“Huh,” Sirius pondered. “I guess keep an eye on him. Point him out to me, he didn’t make much of an impression I’m afraid.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“In the meantime, does the department have an extra car you can use?”

“No, I mean I was already using my own truck and just throwing a light on it as needed. Our department’s short on funds for all weather vehicles,” Remus explained. 

“Hmm, okay. Well I guess you’ll need to catch rides until it’s fixed. Just no sticking your thumb out for cars okay?”

McGonagall entered just then and both men jumped. Remus wasn’t sure why he felt guilty.

“Since your vehicle was parked in front of the station we have footage of the vandal who wrecked your windshield deputy,” she said, though she seemed none too happy about it.

“But?” Remus asked, knowing where this was going.

“Sadly between the fog and the fact that they’re wearing a mask, it’s going to make them almost impossible to identify. I’m sorry Lupin.”

Remus let out a deep breath. It figured. “Thanks for checking.”

“Of course. I’m stationing a patrol car at your driveway now, I know there’s been no attempts to harm your actual person, but I want you to feel safe in your home.”

“I appreciate that Sheriff, thank you,” Remus said before she left, shutting the door behind her. “So how did things go today on the mountain?”

Sirius sunk into one of the more cushy conference chairs and heaved a sigh. “More of yesterday. Minus any concussions.”

“A minor blessing,” Remus said, sitting beside him. 

“Cadaver dogs searched up the mountain and creek but had to stop when the fog got too thick. They’ll go downriver tomorrow. How about you, find anything interesting about Riddle that might shed some light?”

Glancing down at the sheets of paper he’d arranged around the table, plus the dozens of sticky notes he’d attached, Remus bit his lip as he pondered the information. “I mean, this guy is a downright psychopath.”

“No argument here,” Sirius agreed.

“But he’s also charismatic. I mean, even in prison his followers never wavered, it looks like they actually grew in number somehow. He surrounds himself with very competent people, master manipulators like himself, and are able to reel in gullible people to do the hard work.”

“And murder,” Sirius added.

“Exactly. It’s very Charles Manson but less hippie and more...mysticism? I’m not exactly sure what to call his brand of crazy.”

“I mean, he’s definitely delusional. What started with achieving inner peace quickly became unlocking the magic within, delusions of grandeur and superiority and now he thinks he’s some sort of warlock god or something,” Sirius said. 

“Let’s see, he made his followers all wear black, get branded with his sigil, stay out in sense emparing environments to unlock their magical animals, a blatant sacreligious theft of Native American mythology I might add, and that’s just before the sacrifices began. Which of course he says he did not sanction or condone, but when you tell your followers to ‘harvest the lamb’ while living on a vegan commune, I’m not sure what else he could possibly mean,” Remus said, frowning over his notes.

“Oh there’s blood on his hands, whether literal or second hand is what we have to find out. If he’s even alive that is.”

“But you believe he is,” Remus said, looking up into Sirius’ eyes. They were fixed, staring yet not staring at the sheets and sheets of notes, looking for something hitero unseen in the jumble of words and photos. 

“I do. I feel like someone helped him, I just don’t know how.”

A commotion outside the conference room window called their attention outside where Lily looked to be shouting at someone in the snow.

“Damn I hope it isn’t James,” Remus muttered as they both dashed off, remembering to lock the room behind them.

Luckily or not, Lily seemed to have Snape cornered and cowering as she hurled a barrage of words at him that weren’t audible until the men drew closer.

“What is wrong with you? How could you spread such rumors, have you no sense of professionalism? To slander another officer, let alone two, and for what? Do you think this will impress anyone?”

“Lily please, I didn’t, whatever you heard…”

“Don’t lie to me,” she said, now more calm but infinitely more terrifying. 

“What’s going on here?” Sirius asked, striding through the thin layering of soft snow to stand beside his partner. Remus did the same but hung to Lily’s other side.

“Oh, well you’re probably the only two who haven’t heard. Severus here has been gossiping about you both, some choice bits about what you’ve been doing locked away in the conference room.”

Remus blanched. 

“Do you do this to everyone who walks into an office with another?” Sirius asked, standing tall, towering over Snape as the deputy hunched and looked particularly pathetic. There was menace to his gaze, a cornered beast with no teeth but claws sharp enough to bite anyway. Though he seemed keen to impress and placate Lily, Snape had none of the same qualms toward Sirius or Remus.

“Agents, I’m amazed how bent out of shape you’re getting over this,” he said, eying first Remus than the other two. “And these rumors you speak of don’t exist. I was merely conferring with those around the watercooler, wondering just how long it takes to straighten out some papers.”

“Uh huh,” Sirius said coldly. “As much as it may shock you, there are much more competent officers in this station, ones who are privy to higher clearance information than you. But since you’re feeling left out, let’s go speak with McGonagall, help you feel included.”

Now it was Snape’s turn to pale. 

“Yes, let’s,” Lily agreed and they all marched Snape inside, an escort wishing the opposite of protection. 

McGonagall, glasses half way down her nose as she read over reports, looked none too happy to be disturbed. “Now what’s all this?”

“Sheriff, sorry to interrupt,” Lily started, closing the door behind them. “It’s just that we’ve become aware of an incident of slander in this office, directed at one of your men as well as my partner. We wished you to be aware of its existence and origin.”

“Oh?” she looked from Remus to Snape. “Well out with it.”

“Deputy Snape has been making accusatory homophobic comments while Deputy Lupin and I were in the conference room...”

“To multiple officers,” Lily continued. 

Folding her hands over the desk, McGonagall surveyed the officers, eyes narrowing marginally over Snape, choosing her words carefully.

“As you know, I run a progressive force. I’m proud of both our diversity and how many female officers we have because it is a reflection of our community I have always hired the right officer for the job, and someone’s sexual preference has absolutely nothing to do with how well they do that job. If you think it does, perhaps you do not belong here. Do I make myself clear?”

Snape swallowed and nodded.

“If I hear even a whisper of a rumor such as this one again, you will be fired. Not transfered, fired. Are we done here?”

“Yes, thank you,” Lily said as they turned to leave.

“Lupin, a minute,” McGonagall said, stopping him before he could follow. “And shut the door Evans, thank you.”

“I’m sorry about…”

“Don’t apologize,” McGonagall said, taking off her glasses. She looked on Remus more kindly than she had the other three and the relief he felt was palpable. “I do not care if you are or are not gay, but I will not stand for homophobia in this office. I have a feeling this has been going on for longer than I realize if it’s reached this point?”

“Perhaps. I didn’t want to cause turmoil within the office,” Remus said, standing as tall as he could.

“I’m going to keep him on desk duty for a bit, but if things don’t change, I know the officer I’d rather have on staff. A hostile work environment is not something I’ll tolerate, and if he does this to you he may to others, even civilians. So even though it may feel like you’re snitching, please tell me anything in the future. For the betterment of the community.”

“Of course,” Remus said, feeling ashamed he hadn’t spoken up sooner. 

“Write this incident report up with Black and Evans so I can get it on file and have it on my desk before you go,” McGonagall said, looking down in clear dismissal. 

Upon leaving the room, Remus was thrown off balance as someone grabbed his arm. Flailing a bit, he turned to see James looking concerned by his side. 

“What the hell was that about?” James asked through gritted teeth.

Remus slumped his shoulders and turned to whisper in his friend’s ear. “Ah, well Snape was making homophobic comments about Sirius and I…”

“He what!” James yelled and Remus had to drag him into the conference room. 

“Keep it down,” Remus hissed, pulling James to the opposite end of the table from his notes.

“Sorry but what the actual fuck?” James was red in the face and seething. 

Shrugging, Remus tried to play it off to calm his friend before he did something rash. “Look, he’s a petty man who’s insecure with his own masculinity.”

“That’s no excuse,” James said through gritted teeth.

“What? No of course not, I’m not excusing him, I’m telling you that’s why we reported it to McGonagall. He can’t just go about spreading rumors…”

“Wait, he told others, it wasn’t just to your face?”

“Apparently. I haven’t heard anything yet, but Evans called him out so we took him to see McGonagall. He’s on desk duty and she said she’d fire him if she hears anything homophobic from him again.”

“Good. God damn him, I mean, what should it matter if you’re gay or not? I mean, wouldn't matter to me, you wouldn’t need to come out, you know, just bring a guy over for Christmas. Or a girl, you can be bi too. Or someone non binary…”

“Yes, alright thanks Jamie,” Remus said, outwardly reticent but inside he was relieved James was being so open minded. 

“Or not, I mean not everyone needs to be with someone. And you don’t have to talk to me but if you want to talk to me…”

“Wow he still babbles a lot huh?”

“Oh...hey Lily. Sirius,” James said, swallowing hard and waving to the agents across the table. Who he apparently didn’t even notice in his fit of rage against Snape. Lily was smiling softly despite her words.

“I think this may be the first time he didn’t notice you, how does it feel?” Sirius asked and Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head. 

Seeming to finally take note of the plethora of confidential papers across the table, James flailed a bit before realizing what room he’d been pulled into. “Sorry, didn’t mean to intrude, um, I’ll just be going. Maybe see you all for dinner?” he said, not waiting for an answer as he averted his eyes and left in a hurry.

“He means well, really,” Remus said with a sigh, sinking into a chair beside Sirius. It had been a hell of a long day and he was feeling mentally drained and just a bit shaken from it all. Not that he would let on, especially in front of the agents. 

“You’re a popular target today, he’s just worried,” Sirius said with a frown. 

“Yeah, attempts on my life are all the rage,” Remus said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He walked out to get a glass of water.

When Remus turned away from the watercooler he gave a start. Deputy Longbottom stood in front of him, face still a swollen bruised mess. Remus wasn’t sure exactly what emotion the man was attempting to convey but he gave him a sympathetic yet confused smile in return.

“Longbottom, uh, what can I do for you?”

“Oh, I just heard about your car, wanted to tell you how sorry I was. Glad you’re okay.”

“Ah, thanks. Um, me too…”

“Longbottom!” Mcgonagall yelled from her office, “You’re wife’s calling me. Again. Please tell her to call the front desk, I don’t have time to deal with this right now.”

Remus raised an eyebrow at the man who might be going for sheepishness, it was hard to tell. “Is everything…”

“Yeah, just, she’s worried you know. And I can’t tell her everything, so she keeps calling. I’d better take care of his,” Longbottom said, scurrying to McGonagall’s office and shutting the door.

Remus shook his head. “I think I need another painkiller.”

* * *

It wasn’t until after seven that they left the office, and though twelve hour days were quite the norm, Remus was more drained than usual. “What do you say to dinner at my place?” he suggested.

James was all for it and Lily shrugged. She seemed less annoyed with him at least, which was a step in the right direction. Not that Remus thought they’d be playing spin the bottle any time soon, but he had hope they could at least leave on amicable terms. On the other hand, Remus had no idea what terms he’d be on with Sirius once this fiasco was wrapped up. The man kept stealing glances, finding excuses to sit near him, to touch his fingers when he handed off a paper. Noticeable things. Not that Remus was much better, but it didn't help Remus already addled brain figure out what he wanted. 

James had given them all a ride and they stopped at the market to get food for dinner. As they trailed up the mountain, Remus saw the cop car stationed just down his driveway, out of sight behind some trees, almost invisible unless you knew where to look. He suddenly felt a lot safer and waved to whatever kind soul had taken a double shift for him. 

Apparently Sirius really loved to cook, and James loved to play with sharp knives, so Lily and Remus left them to it and went to set the table in the dining room. 

“Sirius keeps looking at you,” Lily said, quietly under her breath as she laid out the forks. 

“I know,” Remus scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I just have no idea what to do about it.”

“Well...if you’re not gay…”

“Oh I’m very gay, especially for him. That’s not the problem. Both of you leaving soon is the problem,” Remus confessed.

“Ah. So...say if I were to patch things up with Potter, you’d tell me not to bother with anything romantic cause I’d be far away soon?” she asked.

“What? No, I mean, that’s…”

“Different?” she filled in. “How?”

“I mean...huh…” Remus thought on it. He’d been trying to get James back in Lily’s good graces, but after that it was almost the exact same situation. Distance, long hours on the job, yet he’d never thought it wouldn’t be worth it for those two to give it a try.

“Think about it,” Lily shrugged, adjusting a plate. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now.”

She might be right, but Remus still wasn’t convinced. Despite the war going on in his head, Remus sat down to dinner and attempted to enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere of his home. 

“So, small town like this, I bet you’ve had some strange or embarrassing cases,” Sirius asked.

“Embarrassing for who? Us or the perps?” Remus asked, taking a bite of chicken.

“Please tell me there’s both?”

“This one time…”

“James!” Remus warned but his friend continued. 

“...Remus was handcuffing a guy, drunk driver, completely belligerent. And for some reason he says ‘You’re under arrrrrrest” and rolls his ‘r’s!”

“What?” Sirius had nearly choked on his food and Lily slapped the table with one hand. “Why?”

“I have no idea,” Remus said, shaking his head. “It’s not like I was learning Spanish or something! It just...rrrrrrolled right out.”

Sirius’ eyes were watering as he looked over at Remus, and the smile that he gave made Remus feel strangely warm inside. “Anyway, James always seems to get the weird cases, unless it’s a full moon. Then they’re all weird.”

“Was it a full moon tonight or just James’ bad luck transfering over to you?” Sirius asked. 

“I think it’s tomorrow actually. We keep track in the office,” Remus replied.

“Oh I have a good one,” James interrupted, “Remember the time we got a call from that lady about the dinosaur living across the street?”

“Was she crazy?” Lily asked.

“Not as much as you’d think. Apparently this guy was renting a cabin for his honeymoon with his wife. Only his wife was less human and more alligator.”

“Uhhh…”

“I think that was the same full moon where Remus was constantly getting hit on. First there was the domestic dispute where the woman kept batting her eyes at you while we arrested her boyfriend, then the drunk guy trying out bad pick up lines…”

“Please don’t tell me the alligator was next,” Sirius said. 

“Nope, this little old lady was missing way too many teeth to be mistaken for an alligator. But she called five times that night and we had to check out each one just to be safe as she asked Remus about whether he was ‘sweet’ on anyone and giving him cookies.”

“That’s pretty cute,” Lily said and Remus put his head in his head and nodded. He still stopped by to say hi to Ms Shacklebolt once a week but kept it purely official lest she get any ideas. 

After dinner they moved to the couch and Remus lit the fire after making everyone hot cocoa. What he wouldn’t give for a drink, but they were all still officially on the clock so they made due. James took the overstuffed chair that matched the ghastly orange of the couch while Sirius sat in the middle of Lily and Remus, just a touch closer to him than to his partner. Not that Remus noticed. 

“So how is it having McGonagall as a boss?” Lily asked both the deputies.

“She’s been an amazing role model honestly,” Remus shrugged.

“He’s not being sarcastic,” James chimed in, “It’s incredible what she’s done with the office. From what I heard it used to be the typical macho boys club. She turned it around, brought in capable female officers, better community liaisons, higher pay if you could speak a second language.”

“Yeah, I noticed it’s a rather inclusive atmosphere, well other than Snape’s comments today,” Lily sighed.

“That was a very uncharacteristic. To be fair Snape’s not the only one who wants things to return to the way the office used to run, but for the most part things have been moving in a progressive direction. I’ve been working with McGonagall recently to petition for better maternity leave. We have so many female officers that have laid down roots here, it’s a shame when they don’t get to enjoy time with their families.”

“That’s...very important,” Lily said, seemingly a bit shocked.

“It is, anyway I hope it goes through, some old white assholes have been trying to block the bill, pennies out of their pockets and all that.”

“Lily and I have been trying to get the FBI to amend the dress code for years, we know how long it takes to make changes in such a stubborn system.”

“Oh yeah?” Remus asked.

“Well, especially for women, let’s just say it’s frowned upon if you don’t wear a skirt and at least one inch heels. And then there’s Sirius…”

“Lily,” Sirius gave her a glance.

“What you want to wear heels?” Remus asked, none too opposed to the thought.

“Ha, no. Actually I just wish I could grow my hair out. Long.”

“Oh.” Remus had wondered and now he couldn’t stop picturing it. Long raven locks he could run his fingers through. He swallowed audibly and hoped no one noticed.

“Bad idea?” Sirius asked, taking his pause for the negative reaction it decidedly was not.

“No, I mean, that’s a good thing, hair doesn’t define gender.”

“Decidedly not,” Sirius said, nodding. 

“Anyway, it’s good to make changes to a broken system,” Remus said, shifting a bit on the couch. He was decidedly turned on by thoughts of Sirius’ potential long hair and didn’t wish for it to become apparent. 

James nodded and covered a yawn with the back of his hand. “Sorry guys, I’m beat. Got an early shift tomorrow, shall I pick you both up?” he looked to Remus and Sirius who were still without transportation.

“That’d be a big help.”

“Thanks for dinner,” Lily said making to rise. Seeing as she’d driven with them, Remus was hoping she wasn’t too nervous riding home with just James. Not that he didn’t trust the man to be a perfect gentleman. 

Remus and Sirius got up as well and saw them to the door. “Take it slow, there’s a lot of fog,” Remus said, opening the door to a wall of grey. The porch light burned golden but barely permeated five feet from the wooden deck. 

“I’ll get Lily back, don’t worry,” James said. “See you bright and early, stay safe.”

Remus cringed as he closed the door, reminded once again of the strange attempts upon him today. 

“You alright? Is having guests really that bad?” Sirius asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Nah, just glad there’s a car watching over the place tonight. I don’t want anything else to happen.”

“Same,” Sirius said, looking like he was about to put a hand to Remus’ shoulder before changing his mind and putting it in his pocket instead. “You must be happy I don’t have to watch over you tonight.”

“Ha. Yeah,” Remus agreed, although part of him wouldn’t mind having Sirius in his bedroom in another capacity. But that part was not currently winning the fight. He hoped. “So do you want to…”

“I’m going to bed,” Sirius interrupted somewhat coldly.

“Oh, yeah me too,” Remus said, hoping he didn’t sound hurt. After all, keeping this strictly platonic was his idea. He wasn’t allowed to have regrets about his own rules and boundaries, right? Especially with how caring and kind Sirius had been all day. But he’d be leaving soon, so that settled that. 

So he let Sirius get ready first and went up to his room, remembering to close the door firmly behind. When he was sure Sirius had finished, the old pipes rattling then quieting within the walls, Remus peaked out and saw Sirius’ retreating form making its way down the stairs.

“Good night,” Remus called after and Sirius turned. 

“Night,” he said soberly back before settling on the couch. 

Remus climbed into bed after, falling into a fitful sleep made more so by a slight headache that awakened him every hour until around 1:00 am when he had the wherewithal to pull himself from his restless slumber. Sighing, Remus sat up in bed with his thoughts. Though the most obvious one was the beautiful man on the couch downstairs and how much his sleep-addled mind was telling him it was a perfect opportunity to jump him, Remus also had a headache and needed to take something with his meds. 

He crept downstairs, bare legs cold once he’d pulled off the covers, but not knowing where he’d thrown his pajama pants he decided to go without. The stairs creaked like aching bones of his old home but he stepped lightly, avoiding extra loud spots before making it to the ground floor. 

It seemed he wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping. Blankets twisted around Sirius’ body, toes peeking out the other end as he moaned softly and let out a small yelp in his sleep. Hoping to awaken the man from his nightmare, Remus strode close, sitting on the armrest before lightly shaking Sirius’ shoulder.

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s just a dream,” he said softly, shaking just a bit harder until Sirius came to.

Sirius started from sleep, jumping away from the contact before his eyes focused on Remus, silhouetted in the near full moonlight that diffused hazily through the window. 

“Fuck,” Sirius said, scrubbing a hand over his face and through his hair. “Are you okay?”

“Me?” Remus chuckled. “Yeah, you were having a rather vivid nightmare though.”

“Oh,” the man took a moment to think, as if the images took time to coalesce to a solid form he could comune through words. “I think...I think you got shot. It was foggy and we were on a mountain and Riddle shot you.”

To Sirius it might have seemed vivid, but to Remus that fate could easily become a reality. Something about the dead of night made the emotions all too raw, the ache in his chest palpable, the knowledge that at any moment he could die. Or Sirius could die. And he just knew, not even deep down, but there floating on the surface, that if something happened and he didn’t take this chance at life, he’d regret it forever.

Caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t realize Sirius was staring at him until a warm hand fell on his thigh. 

“Hey, are you…” 

The rest of the sentence was lost as Remus, bathed in moonlight, threw himself upon Sirius, thighs straddling the other man’s hips as he dipped his head and kissed him hungrily. To his credit, Sirius only froze for an instant before long fingers folded themselves behind Remus’ neck pulling him unapologetically closer. 

“I thought you said this was... a bad idea,” he said breathlessly after a minute, small stunted words as he trailed kisses, unable to pull away to complete an entire sentence. 

“It is,” Remus replied, grabbing at Sirius’ waist until the other man sat up against the back of the couch, needing to press more of his body against him, needing to feel alive. “I just...if something were to happen…”

“Shhh,” Sirius soothed, not needing to hear more. He understood, but Remus needed to tell him anyway.

“I thought, if I don’t kiss you, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Sirius smiled and cupped Remus’ jaw in the palm of his hand. His eyes, like starlight in the heavens, smiled too and Remus felt lost in the depth of their emotion. 

So again, with much more finesse, Remus dipped his head, taking Sirius’ lips for his own, stealing away their warmth, their softness, every breath became his. Soon Sirius was sighing into his touch, hands wandering from Remus’ neck, lower to his back, then to ruck up his shirt and bare skin to the darkness.

“Fuck, you’re not wearing pants,” Sirius said, unable to stop himself from arching into Remus as he grabbed at his exposed ass. 

“What, this is how I sleep,” Remus said cheekily, causing Sirius to bit his bottom lip. 

“God damn that’s hot,” he replied, hands gripping, kneading, tightening, pulling Remus onto him. And Remus could feel him, the hardness through the thin linen of Sirius’ pajamas, aching, straining against the material as he sat firmly upon the other man’s cock. He ground down, stretching his body, spreading his thighs to encompass as much of Sirius as he could, rocking back and forth slowly, teasingly as Sirius flung his head back against the couch. 

Looking down Remus ran his hands through Sirius’ hair, winding his fingers through dark locks just as he’d wanted to do upon meeting the man. He brought Sirius’ head back, locking eyes, needing Sirius here with him for every moment they could steal together. In turn Sirius ran his long hands over Remus’ body, trailing along his sides, teasing, pulling at his shirt just enough to ruck it up his abdomen before it fell once again. Focused back upon him, Remus watched Sirius’ eyes wander his form, on his shirt tented in front, barely covering his cock where it pressed forward, hot and leaking and aching for stimulation. And he wanted him to see, to stare as Remus’ body reacted to his nearness, to harden from kisses and touches, to prove that he did want him all along. He felt he owed Sirius that. 

Warm hands on the tops of his thighs, running up and down, barely skimming the hem of his shirt, finally had Remus moaning, flinging his head back, exposing his long neck that Sirius riddled with kisses, sucking from collarbone to ear. Sirius was bucking up into him, the hard line of his cock, thick and full, pressed clothed between Remus’ legs, along his perineum, against his balls. It felt as perfect as the rest of his form and Remus wanted nothing more than to watch it harden further as the man stood on the brink of orgasm for him.

“I need to touch all of you,” Remus said, seeking warmth, soft skin and hard muscle, something to ground him in reality and let him know this was not some fever dream born of his concussion.

“Then get these off me,” Sirius insisted, pressing his hips up so Remus get to his knees, allowing them the smallest distance possible to achieve the feat. Needing only the necessary baring of skin, Remus pulled the other man’s pajamas down, hugging the tops of his thighs, revealing a jutting cock and hint of heavy balls beneath the elastic. 

“Fuck you’re hung,” Remus breathed, pressing back down, feeling the sharp jut of the other man’s sex between his legs, hot and firm, making his own cock leak in need.

“I hope that’s not a complaint,” Sirius said, arching into Remus’ body, one hand on the small of his back as he guided Remus in his desire. He felt as the other man lifted his shirt, gripping it tightly as cool air rushed over his length. Biting his bottom lip, Sirius simply stared down at him, taking in pale skin from not enough sun, a smattering of small scars that littered his body, and of course his cock, reddened and wet, peeking out from just under his white t-shirt. 

“Does it look like I’m complaining?” Remus asked, tightening his finger’s in Sirius’ hair, clenching and unclenching, not wanting to cause pain but to feel, to possess, and to wonder what it would be like if his hair was just a bit longer.

“I can’t stop thinking about what you’d look like with long hair,” Remus confessed, carding his hands through and softly fingering the ends of those raven locks.

“Oh?” Sirius seemed intrigued.

“Just...you’d look...really hot.”

Sirius grinned wolfishly before taking Remus’ chin between thumb and forefinger. “Yeah? Well I don’t think you have any idea how hot you are.”

“So show me,” Remus challenged, pressing his hips forward, cock to cock. It was overwhelming and yet not enough, feeling Sirius against him, wanting him, heavy and full as Remus slid his hand between their intertwined bodies to trail a finger along Sirius’ length. Sirius let out a hiss of pleasure, a shiver traveling down his spine and the slight touch. 

“More,” Sirius begged, and Remus obliged. The palm of his hand was not enough to encompass Sirius and yet he took what he could, long single strokes from balls to tip as Sirius moaned and kissed into the skin of his neck. It set his neves aflame, hot puffs of breath against his sensitive skin, then wet licks that he felt much lower and more intimately as his entire body connected his nerves with desire. His shirt had fallen back over his cock, wet and straining, begging for his hand, yet Remus would much rather touch another.

“I...I’m not going to last,” Sirius confessed, pulling Remus down for another kiss, heady and unbalanced with need and the stutters of a building orgasm.

“Then don’t,” Remus said, pulling at him harder, faster, taking that thick length in his wandering hand, memorizing every inch, every vein, every drop of precum that fell weeping from its tip. It had been so long, so many years, and Remus needed this to fill the void of all the lonely nights he knew would come after. To remember this feeling, to recreate it later in his mind. The shear perfection of Sirius’s form, his gorgeous body, his lovely yet not quite long enough hair, those warm silvery eyes, and the huge cock he couldn’t help but press himself into as if he could fuse himself to Sirius forever. 

“I need to see you,” Sirius said, planting a hand on the center of Remus’ chest, feeling his heartbeat, the surge of his breathing, and rucking the material until Remus war revealed. Such a hungry gaze, like Sirius had never seen anyone he wanted more, and Remus could only hope he’d remain a favorable memory for as long as Sirius wished to dwell upon this night. That hand pulled at the material, gripping it like the bedsheet below in Sirius’ other fist, before his hips pressed erratically into Remus.

“Fuck, I’m…” Sirius couldn’t finish the words before he was coming, hot wet spurts on Remus’ hand, then again onto his stomach and shirt. His cries were ecstatic, low in his throat, raw and pleasure filled as he rocked again and again into Remus’ tight fist. And then Remus could take it no more, the sight was seared into his memory and his body needed that same glorious release. One quick pull to his cock and he too came, crying out over and over into the night as he found completion, pressing his cockhead forward, down to touch Sirius’ flat stomach, over his sated length, leaving a trail of cum in its passionate wake. 

Then Sirius’ fingers found his hair, grasped at the back of his head just like their first heated kiss, yet this was slower, breathier, sated and yet still in need of contact. Sirius pulled back after a minute, breath normalizing as he pressed their foreheads together, resting there in this moment as Remus took it all in. 

It was a bit late for regrets but he hoped Sirius would not take issue with what they’d done now that the endorphins of orgasm were beginning to fade. Instead strong arms enfolded him and Remus curled up upon Sirius’ lap, still waiting to catch his breath.

“I can’t believe you actually sleep like this,” Sirius chuckled after a minute.

“Should I put on pants…”

“No!” Sirius said, pulling Remus closer. “That would be a crime.”

“Come upstairs?” Remus asked, then, quietly, in case Sirius wished to ignore the request. Then he could go back bed, pretend it was all a wonderful moonlit dream.

Sirius didn’t say anything but he squeezed Remus’ hand and it was enough. So Remus lead him upstairs, into bed, and fell asleep on a warm chest, headache completely forgotten.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sex at the beginning of this chapter

Much more pleasant dreams followed Remus into sleep. Memories mixed with fantasy, shapes and feelings aligning into forms not quite whole but filled in by the shadows Morpheus cast. Remus was at a club, dancing, laughing, but he could not hear the music. Then he found someone amongst the crowd, all hard muscle and light eyes and the man pulled him into a room. Was it a bathroom, a closet, the manager’s office? He didn’t know but location mattered little when suddenly the man was on him, hot mouth taking him deep, clothes suddenly vanished, unimportant, cast away into the void of the dream. And Remus felt it, hot suction, a commanding tongue wrapping his cock in utter bliss. It was wet and sloppy and completely perfect and Remus moaned and jutted his hips forward, grabbing at hair, dark hair, bathed in the light of dawn. He blinked. Into existance swam his own bed and Sirius buried between his thighs. That hot dreamy mouth was not born of slumber but the other man’s need for him which could not wait until waking. Remus moaned, throwing his head back into the pillow, fingers clawing for purchase in bedding, hair, anything he could find. He’d never been awoken in such a glorious manner.

Sirius renewed his efforts, sucking hard, taking Remus down his throat, pushing thighs aside that Remus wantonly spread for him. The sheets tangled around Remus’ feet, his body warm from sleep and sex and the half naked man who couldn’t get enough of his cock. Need coursed through him, sleepy, not as urgent as last night, but surreal as the predawn light that fell upon their bed. Sirius smiled up at him, lips quirking around his cock, satisfied and eager before he pulled off to lick up his twitching length, eyes locked on Remus the entire time. Drawing his knees up, Remus locked his legs around Sirius’ head, not too tight but enough that Sirius knew he was getting close, getting desperate. Remus’ back arched off the bed, shallow thrusts of his hips as Sirius allowed him to set the pace, letting Remus lay back and fuck his mouth. His mind was chaotic, thoughts of last night, his dream, waking up to this blissful reality, every thought swirled around Sirius. Sirius, who didn’t have to do this, had no need to make this more than a one time thing, a one night stand. A quick hand job, one and done. And yet here they were.

Remus could feel every kiss, every lick, every small scrape of teeth and tongue on his sensitive length, hard as he could possibly get and aching to come. It was close, only touches away, and he could not tear his eyes off Sirius’ beautiful face as it bobbed between his thighs. Long fingers dug into his flesh, kneading into calves, buttocks, hips, then his upper thighs, as though Sirius needed to map every inch of him. It only took another swallow, desperate and wanting, and Remus was warning his imminent release, crying out Sirius’ name as the other man only sucked harder, pulling the release from his body. Hips rose, as Remus thrust into Sirius’ mouth, held down by a firm hands least he chock the other man as he drank down his orgasm. Remus shivered, acutely feeling every sensation as his cock became overwhelmed in Sirius’ mouth, the line between not enough and too much blurred until Remus had to let go, had to pull out. 

Wiping the back of his hand across his lips, Sirius continued to look smug as he crawled up Remus’ body, settling against his side. Remus was sated and exhausted, pulling the other man closer, wrapping his arms around Sirius until his head rested on his shoulder.

“What the hell was that about?” he asked when his mind had cleared enough to form a sentence.

Sirius chuckled. “Does it have to be about anything? I woke up and just couldn’t help myself.”

“Well what about you?” Remus said, reaching down Sirius’ flat stomach. “How can I help you?”

Long fingers intertwined with Remus’ pulling them away from his body to rest both their hands on Remus’ hip. “I promise, I’m still good from last night.”

“Really?” Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. But he could feel Sirius, soft against his thigh and decided not to push the matter. He’d make it up to him later. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Sirius said, settling back in, eyes closing as his breathing evened out, leaving Remus awake and wondering how he’d gotten so damn lucky.

* * *

A loud knock not an hour later had both men jumping from bed, hearts pounding. Remus glanced at the clock, almost 5:00 am, so they weren’t late. But a knock this early did not bode good news. Grabbing some pants and his gun, Remus made for the stairs, watching as Sirius did similarly, trailing right behind him. Though he was cautious, Remus was also not entirely fearful, for though not unheard of, it was unlikely whoever wished to do him harm would come knocking at his door. Nodding over his shoulder at Sirius to stand to the side, Remus eased the door open, keeping his gun behind it, just out of eyesight. His shoulders slumped when it was, indeed, just James at the door.

“Trying to give me a heart attack?” Remus said, tucking his gun into the back of his pants and shaking his head. Sirius crept forward from the shadows, causing James to just about jump out of his skin. 

“Shit! Um, sorry about that. Just needed you to know, we caught him.”

“Wait what? You caught Riddle?” Sirius asked, darting forward, crowding the doorway. James’ mouth seemed to open just a bit wider as he noticed the other man was not wearing a shirt. “Uh, nope. Sorry...uh Remus, we caught the guy trying to sabotage Remus.”

“Oh. Oh good,” Remus said, twice relieved in as many minutes. 

“Yeah, won’t give me a name but I was on morning watch here…”

“James, you didn’t have to…” Remus started but was cut off.

“Yes I did! Someone tries to off my partner, you’d better bet I’m on their ass! So anyway, there was this weird guy creeping around the woods just outside your place with an ax. Won’t say anything yet, we’re going to take him to the jail. But anyway, I can’t give you a ride because of that. I phoned McDonald, she’ll be here at 6:30 to take you both in, then maybe you can get something out of him?” 

“Yeah,” Remus said, yawning and running his hands through his hair. “Sounds good. See you then, and...thanks.”

“Of course,” James said, looking to Sirius then back at Remus and throwing him an incredibly non discrete wink. Remus rolled his eyes as James turned and made his way down the driveway.

“That’s some good news finally,” Sirius said, coming up behind Remus and wrapping his arms around him once the door was shut. 

“Yeah, wonder who it is?”

Sirius shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Since they had time, Remus and Sirius decided to get ready and shower. Together. His mind somewhat preoccupied, Remus didn’t have the wherewithal to instigate much, but Sirius seemed perfectly content to just shower, with the occasional touching and kissing of course. Remus loved Sirius’s skin, perfect and unblemished, each pale inch begging for his tongue to kiss water droplets from. But in the same unfathomable way, Sirius seemed just as fascinated with Remus’ scars. 

“Are you self conscious about them? I can stop if you want,” Sirius asked, warm body flush behind Remus, holding him close under his ribs as he tilted Remus’ neck to the side, kissing a long thin scar that circled one side of his throat. 

“Not particularly,” Remus said, drinking in the sensation of Sirius all over his skin. “I’m just not used to the attention.”

“Ah,” Sirius said, turning Remus to look at him. “What’s this one from?” He traced a red mark along Remus’ hip bone. 

“Bike accident, I was twelve. Fell off and skidded right on my side.”

“Ouch,” Sirius said, palming the offending skin. “How about this? Long fingers withdrew to trickle drops of water along a gash of multiple parallel lines on Remus’ forearm. 

“Cat actually. Had to save a tabby who was stuck in a rushing river, clawed me to bits!”

“I thought only firefighters rescued cats?” Sirius smirked.

“Well you’d be wrong. They hate those calls. But guess who has to step up? Me.”

“That was rather heroic of you,” Sirius said, kissing into his neck. “It’s kind of endearing to find you’re accident prone.”

“Am not...I mean...well maybe a bit. Moreso in my childhood than now, I was kind of a gangly kid,” Remus confessed.

“Okay, how about this one?”

“Are you going to ask me about each scar?” Remus replied.

“Eventually,” Sirius said, kissing him once, sweetly on the mouth. Remus liked that. The kiss and the promise of something more. 

They turned off the water, both half hard yet no need for immediate fulfilment, and Sirius reached onto the rack to hand Remus his towel. 

When Mary McDonald arrived promptly at 6:30, Remus attempted to act as casually as possible but he felt like the words “I slept with Sirius” were inscribed in indelible marker on his forehead. Luckily McDonald was a professional and didn’t say a word other than to talk about the case as they drove to the jail. 

James was waiting in the hall outside the interrogation room, really a glorified office made to look stark and intimidating, half his bottom lip between his teeth and frowning down at whatever report he had in his hand. 

“So, is he talking yet?” Remus asked, coming up beside his partner.

“Huh? Oh hey Remus. Sirius. And nope, but good news, McGonagall knew him, so that’s a start.”

“Really? Any rap sheet?” Remus asked curiously.

“Nope, squeeky clean, that’s probably why I don’t know him. She said he’s from an old family though, the Malfoys, heard of them?”

“Yeah, actually I attended a police gala at their estate a couple years back. Before you ask, yes McGonagall made me,” Remus said.

“Hey, I’m not judging,” James said. 

“Can I try talking to him? Maybe it’ll scare him into talking to see me uscathed infront of him.”

“Couldn’t hurt to try,” James shrugged. He handed Remus the report before unlocking the door. “We’ll be watching through the mirror, good luck.”

Remus strode in before closing the door behind him. Then he frowned. The man had quite nondescript features other than ears that stuck out a bit far, but those eyes, there was something about him, something he remembered. He knew the man. 

“We’ve met,” Remus said, striding over to the table the perp was handcuffed to. The man looked up at him, startled.

“Oh um…”

“But you’re not a Malfoy.”

“No...no sir. Um…”

“This says Donny Dobson.” Remus waved the report before placing it on the table. The man winced. 

“Please, no one calls me that, it’s Dobby sir,” the man said with a wince.

“Alright then, Dobby,” Remus said, sitting down across from the man. He decided bluntness was his best tool and gave it his best. “Why were you trying to kill me?”

The man looked totally shaken. “What? I’ve never tried to kill anyone.”

Frowning, Remus looked Dobby straight in the eyes. “Then why were you at my home this morning with an ax? And putting nails through my tires, rocks through my windshield, smacking me on the head and I assume leaving threatening notes at the station?”

Dobby’s eyes went wide. “Detective Lupin! I…” then he shut his mouth, biting his lip as if to secure it.

After waiting a full minute for the man to continue, Remus pressed on. “We only met once before, to my recollection. At your father…”

“Step-father. I’m a Malfoy by my mum’s marriage,” Dobby corrected.

“Right, stepfather's police gala a few years back. I can’t recall anything happening between us since, especially nothing to provoke this level of hostility.”

Dobby seemed to think it over. “There were so many cops there that night, huh.” Shaking his head he brought himself out of whatever memory he’d stumbled into.

“Dobby?”

“Is this something about you? Or your family?”

Now that got a reaction. Dobby turned white as new snow and seized up in his chair. “I request a call to my lawyer sir.”

Completely deflated, Remus rose from his chair and left the room.

* * *

“Did Donny Dobson get that phone call to his lawyer yet?” Remus asked, calling the on duty officer at the front of the jail a half hour later. 

“He called his father...excuse me, step-father, but apparently their lawyer is on vacation in Bermuda and can’t get a flight out due to weather.

“Great,” Remus sighed. “Will you keep him locked up then?”

“Until his lawyer arrives, yes,” she said.

“Okay, I’ll try to stop by later,” Remus said before hanging up the phone. He was back at the station but feeling just as frustrated as the previous day, despite the arrest. Sirius, James, Lily and the majority of the team were back in the field, trying desperately to find anything before the storm hit this evening. The cadaver dogs were searching downriver today, their last day before being called away on another job. If they didn’t find anything now, chances were they wouldn't until the spring thaw, if ever. And Remus was stuck pouring over paperwork. 

He had poured over Riddle’s history, a sad childhood, growing up in an orphanage, then a reform school that was later shut down for child abuse. Not much was known between childhood and his mid twenties, but Riddle came back on the map after starting a pyramid scheme and then been forced into bankruptcy when the IRS got involved. So he’d tried again, skirting the laws with multi-level marketing and pulling himself back up to the top. Somehow the success of that gave the man an even bigger ego and he decided to train others in his ways, but instead of teaching traditional business tactics, his followers paid thousands for retreats in the woods to find their spirit animals and learn what magic they possesses to propel them into success. 

People seemed to come and go in Riddle’s life, no family to speak of, friends and acquaintances getting fed up or used until they cut all ties. His followers were loyal though, to a fault. 

When a call came in on his line, Remus was hopeful it was either news they’d found Riddle, Dobby had decided to talk, or Sirius was checking in. He’d completely forgotten about his damn car.

“Deputy Lupin.”

“Hey Remus, it’s Pandora, from the auto shop,” a high pitched voice came over the phone.

“Oh right, how’s my car?”

“Well, we got the old windshield out, but we don’t have a new one that fits. Sorry, but with the storm you’ll have to go without till we can order one in.”

“Damn it,” Remus said, running a had through his hair. 

“Sorry…”

“No, I know it’s not your fault Pandora, thanks for trying. Keep me updated okay?”

“Sure thing, take care.”

Remus slumped back in his chair, resigned to be vehicle-less for at least the next couple of days. He felt like a helpless kid again, dependent on the whims of his mom to transport him around. When another call came in a minute later, he barely looked at the receiver as he picked it up and answered dejectedly. “Lupin.”

“Um, is this someone with the Greyback Peak PD?” a woman’s voice asked.

“Yeah, sorry, this is Deputy Lupin. How can I help you?” It seemed like there was hardly anyone else in the office, so perhaps Bill at the front desk was relaying calls to him. As if this day couldn’t get any worse.

“Oh Deputy, I’m sorry to bother you, I’ve just been trying to get ahold of my husband.”

“Is this Frank’s wife?” Remus hazarded a guess. She had been calling all of yesterday and frankly, no pun intended, he was surprised she’d waited until this late today. 

“Yes um, my husband hasn’t been answering my calls,” she started.

“I’m sorry, it really isn’t my place to interfere. Not sure how much he’s told you but we’re working a really tough case. Maybe give him a call at his hotel later?”

“His hotel?”

“Sorry, I really have to go now, best of luck,” Remus said, handing up the phone. 

“Bill,” he shouted out the conference room door, “Please don’t send me any more calls from Frank’s wife.”

“Sorry, was that her?” the young man said. “She just said she needed to speak to an officer.”

“Yeah,” Remus sighed. “I just don’t have time for it okay?”

“Gotcha, sorry,” Bill said sheepishly. 

Remus poured over reports until he noticed the light getting dimmer. It wasn’t yet 3:00 pm yet the fog had rolled in thick and small snow flurries were starting to form on the edges of the window panes. He popped outside the room to grab some coffee just a slight man walked in, bundled in a scarf and heavy parka, holding a file. 

“Is there an Agent Black, Evans, or Lupin around?” he asked Bill who looked over and pointed to Remus. 

“Ah Agent,” he said, handing over the file.

“Just Deputy Lupin actually. Are you from the clerk’s office?”

“Yep, just handing over the papers the agents requested. Sign here please.”

As he retreated back into what he now thought of as his hermit cave, Remus opened the envelope. He vaguely recalled Sirius telling him some reports would be delivered but his mind was getting as foggy as the forest beyond. Sliding them out, he realized they were from the 1970s, page after page from the cult incident that took place here all those years ago. He’d seen articles, but nothing as substantial, and a lot of the information had been classified. But nothing seemed redacted in these papers. Hunched over his bitter coffee and a ream of papers, he skimmed and scanned, noting similarities between Salazar’s cult and Riddle’s own. The man was definitely inspired, there were too many odd correlations for it to be by chance alone. True, Salazar didn’t have the business sense behind his following, but Riddle had taken his idea, expanded it, and made it his own empire. 

That last few pages seemed to be on the final day, the day Salazar crossed the line, the day of the attempted murder. Foregoing skimming, Remus took in each word as a picture of the incident unfolded. Fifty or so odd members, huddled in a circle surrounding a table in Salazar’s commune bungalow on the longest day of summer. A baby crying, held out by a mother, fervent in her belief enough to give up her son to the hands of the man she trusted to bring her enlightenment, to bring magic into her life. “It would be over quickly,” he’d told her, “and then we will all be something more than human. We’ll do it together.” He held the knife to the baby’s neck, chanting, sure of his actions as his followers hushed to silence, only the baby crying as he was placed, naked, alone on a cold table. “We sacrifice the sheep so we become the shepherds,” he had said, remember vividly by multiple eyewitnesses. But then as he lowered the knife, something happened. The magic spell was broken, the mother snapped back into reality, looked down at her son and gasped in alarm. This was her son, he was no sheep. She grabbed him, leaving a cut on his neck but nothing more, and ran before anyone could stop her. When the police arrived Salazar was dead on his own table, apparent suicide. Death by his own hand to achieve something more when it had been denied him in this life.

Remus sucked in his breath, reading faster. His palm went up to rub at the thin scar on his neck, one he’d had since before he could remember. He kept reading, but only scanning for names now, knowing what he would find even before his eyes found it. Hope. The mother who almost sacrificed her own child was Hope Lupin. 

Standing so quickly he knocked the chair back and to the floor, Remus felt his chest compress as every lungful of air he attempted to breath was blocked by the swelling of his throat. It was him. It had always been him. Why did he ever come back to this cursed town? The town where he was meant to die.

He picked up his radio, trying to reach anyone, but the storm was beginning to interfere and all he got was static. Damn, he had to tell Sirius, this was too much of a coincidence. It fit somehow, somewhere into this puzzle he was blind to see, but maybe Sirius could shed light on it all.

Taking a steadying breath, Remus attempted to calm himself before leaving the room. The station was almost empty. A dispatcher sat by her station, Bill manned the front desk. Mary had gone on patrol which left only one other officer. Snape. Remus gritted his teeth. It pained him, but if he had to as for help from the man…

“Oh Lupin, everything okay?” Remus turned, finding Frank Longbottom, swollen and perhaps smiling, from a desk up at him. He was drinking a smoothie through a straw in a mouth of broken teeth.

“Actually no,” Remus thought a moment, “Radio’s out and I still don’t have my car and need to go ask McGonagall something. Has anyone else been by that could give me a ride?”

“Well if you don’t mind driving yourself, you can borrow my rental,” Frank said. “And if you could take me along that would be swell. Want to help out as much as I can, you know? Let me make a quick call first.”

“Yeah, no problem, you’re a lifesaver,” Remus said and the other man’s less puffy eye seemed to lift at the corner like he was smiling. 

The snow was coming down now, coating the tree limbs in white and melting on the street to form icy rivers. They jumped in a small SUV, Remus taking the wheel and heading out the main highway, driving slow even though ever nerve in his body screamed at him to slam the gas and get there quick. 

“Oh, your wife called earlier,” Remus said, watching the road as he spoke to Frank. 

“Yikes again?”

“Yeah, she seemed confused,” Remus replied.

“Yeah, well it’s been hard on her. I didn’t want to talk to her while I’m like this, you know? I don’t sound the same.”

“Huh, I guess,” Remus said, wondering if he would do the same to someone he loved. He couldn’t picture it, not wanting to talk to a spouse after a life threatening accident. One glove stuck slightly to the steering wheel and Remus looked down at a sticky spot of food there. Then he noticed the rest of the interior for the first time. There was trash in the passenger seat, old fast food containers, and stains on the upholstery.

“Weird rental you got,” Remus remarked. “Didn’t they have anything clean?”

Longbottom made a noncommittal sound in his throat. 

Remus frowned. Actually, when would the man have even had the time to drive down the mountain, to the next town and rent a vehicle? Especially one that looked as well lived in. Something wasn’t right. 

“Longbottom?” he said, turning as he slowed the car, coming up to a stop sign. “Who’s car is this?”

The man smiled. Jagged teeth in a ruined mouth, eyes bright under his bruised brow. “Now don’t you worry about that Deputy.”

As slowly as possible Remus lowered one hand from the steering wheel, casually, like he was taking something out of his pocket instead of reaching for his gun. Longbottom continued to grin. And then in one swift motion that seemed nearly impossible for someone with his injuries, he’d flung open the door and jumped from the car. Before Remus could even react he heard the screech of metal, tearing, bending, before he was slammed forward into the steering wheel. Then, darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

“They found an arm!”

Sirius heard the staticy shout over the radio and felt his chest tighten. This could either be really good news, or really bad. Already at basecamp, he wandered down Hog’s Hill in search of the location. He met up with James along the way and they hiked, almost an hour along the river until they could see lights and perimeter tape already set up. The officers there gave him booties and gloves before he wandered into the scene, walking atop other’s footprints to preserve as much as possible. There were two officers, a photographer, and McGonagall by the side of the river, documenting and analyzing, waiting on Sirius and Lily’s arrival. His partner had been further up the mountain than he had, her radio getting fuzzy from the storm, yet Lily had received the coordinates and told him to start without her. 

So Sirius knelt in the snow, looking down at a pale arm, blood pooled blue on the underside as it lay tangled in some bare winter brush along the side of the freezing river. The flesh was ripped at the shoulder, teeth or claw marks most likely, the savagery of some animal consuming its dinner. 

“Did you photograph it already?” he asked of the photographer. She looked down at him and nodded from under her warm hat and scarf. “Yeah, you can move it if you need.”

“Should we wait for Agent Evans?” McGonagall asked.

“She said we could go ahead. And I need to check that it’s even his.”

“Oh?” 

“He had a tattoo of a snake on his right shoulder.”

Carefully Sirius turned the severed limb, flipping it to expose more icy blue flesh. And no tattoo.

“It’s not Riddle.”

The others were silent. 

“Well who is it?” James asked by his side. 

Sirius simply shook his head. He wished he knew.

* * *

It was past dark by the time they got back to the station. The snow was coming down hard and everyone felt the defeat of the day in their cold-riddled bones. 

Sirius had a ton of thinking to do and too many reports to write up before he could even consider rest. This day had been such a blow. He unlocked the conference room, hoping for at least Remus’ smiling face beside him as they figured out the next steps, but the room was empty. 

“Hey where’s Lupin?” he asked, searching around the desks. 

“Left I guess,” Snape said, bored, as if keeping track of the other man could not be further from his thoughts. 

“Huh,” Sirius said, perplexed. Returning to the conference room, he sat down at the end of the desk, right beside Lily who was shaking her head. 

“You went out there and didn't bring me back coffee? You’re fired,” she said with a wide yawn.

Sirius didn’t make to get up again. He was so weary, sore, and could not for the life of him crack this damn case. Plus he missed Remus something fierce. He knew it was stupid to get attached, to feel something more than attraction for the other man, yet he couldn’t seem to help himself. Remus was just irresistible. And curiously absent.

“Oh, looks like the reports on the Salazar Cult came in,” Lily said, glancing at a pile on the table. Sirius groaned. Yay more papers.

He folded his head in his hands for a minute, needing just a quick rest to reset his brain for what was undoubtedly going to be a long night ahead. The distant sounds of chatter from beyond the door, the ringing of a phone, and the near soft sound of pages being turned wormed into Sirius’ brain until it all became background noise and his mind fogged over.

“Hey, I thought Remus’ didn’t grow up here?” Lily said after a bit, her finger settling on a page.

“Huh? Oh, no, he was born here then moved away with his hippie mom.”

‘Um, well you’d better take a look at this.” Lily handed him a report, long pale finger pointing to a name. “Hope Lupin.”

“That can’t be a coincidence,” he said, rising from the chair, all thoughts of rest forgotten. Lily looked as confused as he felt. Where the hell was Remus?

They strode into McGonagall’s office. “We need to know Remus’ mother’s name. Sirius said. And we need to find him, his life could be in danger.”

McGonagall looked startled. Pulling open a drawer, she sifted through to find the deputy’s file. “I don’t know where he is, did you ask Bill as the front desk?” Before he could ask her, Lily was on it, running out of the room in a fiery red flury. 

Quick fingers turned pages until she found what she wanted. “Remus’ mother...Hope Lupin. And this is this important to the case because…”

Lily burst back in, eyes wide. “He’s gone. He left hours ago to basecamp.”

“Who did he leave with?” Sirius asked, dreading the answer.

“Frank Longbottom.”

* * *

“I need an APB out on Frank Longbottom’s car,” Mcgonagall said, walking over to James’ desk. He looked up in surprise. 

“Sure thing, what’s the make and model?”

“It was a white SUV,” Sirius said quickly. 

“No, I saw it yesterday, it was a red truck,” Mary said from the desk beside. 

The looked at one another in surprise. 

“Those are two very different rental cars,” James said, frowning. “What’s going on?”

“Forget that, James I need you to drive Lily and I to the jail. Now.” Sirius was already grabbing his coat. 

“Sure, uh…”

“Now!”

They filled in James as they drove, Sirius tapping his fingers along the side of the car, his nerves getting the better of him as he hoped against hope that it wasn’t too late. He had no idea where to look for Remus, but he had a start. 

Dobby was in his cell, alone, looking cold despite the blanket he had cocooned himself in. 

“If you weren’t trying to kill Remus Lupin, what were you doing?” Sirius shouted the moment he flung open the door.

The man looked positively frightened, eyes wide and mouth agape, the only features visible under the blanket. 

“I...my lawyer,” he stammered but Sirius was having none of it.

“Look, Remus Lupin is missing. If you don’t help us now, I don’t know what will happen to him.”

“Missing? Oh dear, oh dear,” Dobby rocked back and forth on the floor of the cell.

“If you know something that could save the man’s life, you tell us now,” Sirius ordered but Dobby stayed quiet. “Who the hell is Longbottom?” Dobby looked confused. 

“Alright, how about Tom Riddle.” Dobby stopped rocking. “Ah you know that one. Who is he to you? Your family?”

“Father he...talks about Riddle. Not to me, but to his real children. I just listen from the space in the walls. About the great things they will do tonight, at the winter solstice.”

“And…” Sirius was dreading this answer, “Have they met? Your step-father and Riddle?”

“Yes, three days ago. He was not what I imagined, it looked like someone had beat him up.”

Sirius went cold. “And what are they planning?”

“Riddle promised him great things. Power, magic, everlasting life. All with a sacrifice.”

“Is that...do you know who the sacrifice is?”

Dobby nodded slightly. 

“If you weren’t trying to help kill Remus, were you trying to save him? To run him out of town?”

Dobby looked suddenly delighted. “Yes! Oh sir, finally someone gets it! Yes yes!”

“So you sent the note?”

“Yes!”

“But why did you vandalize his car and knock him unconscious?” Sirius asked, perplexed.

“The car wasn’t me! I swear! I never wanted to hurt him, only tried to get him sent away to another hospital, then when that didn’t work I sent the note and went to chop down trees at his house so he’d leave! It wasn’t me!”

Sirius was starting to see the big picture and it was beginning to frighten him. 

“Alright, I believe you Dobby. Just one more thing, where would they take Remus?”

“The bungalow. Salazar’s bungalow,” James said, swallowing nervously by his side. “It’s right next to the Malfoy estate.”

“Shit.”

* * *

Everything was dark. Remus frowned and tried again. Open, close, blink. He could feel his eyelids moving, and his head--damn that hurt--as he lay on his side upon a hard surface. But everything was still black. When he tried moving he found his arms confined, tied behind his back with what felt like zip ties or wire. He heaved a deep breath and breathed in dust, coughing, feeling his body spasm where he lay until he could breathe again. 

Either the room was completely black or he had been blinded in an accident that was coming back to him in bits in pieces. Frank, who wasn’t Frank, smiling brokenly at him. 

It took several long minutes for Remus to get up the strength to push himself into an upright position, no easy feat considering his hands were tied. Once he did so he scooted along the ground, not trusting himself to stand between dizzy spells. Something wet dribbled down his forehead and along his cheek and he was pretty sure his luck of not needing stitches was all in the past now. Finally he found a wall. He leaned against it, catching his breath, feeling the warp of the wood grain with his fingers. It felt smooth, worn, probably old and weathered by time. 

He was just about to start inching his way along the perimeter when the sound of a door opening caught his attention. It sounded like it was in the next room and Remus strained his ears, not even breathing, hoping to overhear something. Then much closer, footsteps and a second door opening into his own room. 

The intruder paused, silent other than faint strained breath as Remus waited in the dark. 

“Let’s chat Deputy,” Frank’s disembodied voice floated through the room, more smug, more confident than it had sounded before.

“Fine by me,” Remus groaned, attempting to stretch his cramped shoulders. “But only if we’re being honest, Riddle.”

“So formal. Please, Tom will do.”

“What am I doing here Tom?” Remus asked.

“Ah, you have been chosen.”

“That’s rather cryptic. Cut the bullshit and tell me what’s going on or just leave.”

“Hmm, that’s not a very polite way to talk to a civilian Deputy. But I’ll give you another chance. That’s why I’ve brought you here actually, a second chance. For greatness.”

“I was feeling a lot greater before you had someone smash a car into me,” Remus shot back.

“I know you may view me as some sort of villian,” Tom said, his words lisping between broken teeth, “but I hope after this chat you’ll see things as they really are.”

“And how is that?”

“Our world is broken Deputy. There’s corruption everywhere. Politicians and their lies, big businesses and their greed, the earth is being torn apart and we are sewing the seeds of our own destruction. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You see, everything in our world is based on barter and trade. I give you money, and that exact amount gives you a certain quantity of goods. But what if you no longer needed money, or goods, or anything, because you could create them yourself? Out of thin air.”

Remus rolled his eyes in the darkness and hoped Riddle could hear them. 

“Magic is very real, it is all around us. We need only awaken it within. Unexplainable things happen every day. Strange phenomenon, unexplained feats of strength, miracle cures as a man dying of cancer miraculously is in remission. It’s all magic, we just haven’t accessed it properly. Until Salazar. He found a way. I’ve been reading his teachings, his gift to us all. A way to unlock our magical potential. To take down those in power, to build a new world, create a new era”

“Uh huh,” Remus said, “And unicorns, vampires and werewolves are real too I bet?”

“You scoff now, but I think you’ll see, before the end,” Riddle said. “Look into the darkness, tell me what you find.” Then the sound of footsteps retreating, a door closing and bolting, and Remus was again alone in the silence and the darkness.

* * *

He nodded on and off. The newest head wound wasn’t doing Remus any favors. And coming to in total darkness was completely disorienting. He’d snap awake, panicked and frightened, before awareness and memory filled in the gaps and he’d relax again and pass out soon after. Then there were the eyes. He saw them first through half closed lids, the only light he’d seen in hours, glowing amber that begged his attention. When he opened his eyes fully Remus’ breath caught in his chest, constricted in fear, his heart hurt with the fast pace it had taken up as adrenaline kicked in. They were close, at least he thought, though distance was only assumed in the pitch black of the room. Canine eyes, wild as the depths of the forest, possessing singular purpose and concentrated completely upon him. They studied him, never blinking, never wavering, and then without warning they were gone. Remus didn’t let out his breath until his lungs burned with the effort, involuntary muscles forcing his voluntary survival instincts back into hiding. He wished he could reach out a hand, feel for fur, discover if the beast still lurked in his room. But he heard nothing and soon yet again he slept. 

* * *

When the door to his cell opened, flooding him in harsh light, Remus was so disoriented he didn’t even fight back when hands grabbed him, pulling him to stand on shaky legs. The men that dragged him did not seem overly strong, yet between the head wound, blood loss, and hours of disorienting darkness, Remus was in no shape to offer resistance. They deposited him on his back in a larger room, high ceilings with wooden beams that echoed footsteps and whispers back to his ears. He could only see his captors if they walked close enough, but by voice he could recognize a few. Lucius Malfoy and his wife Narcissa, British accents distinct and refined despite their hushed tones. Riddle of course, and startlingly one of his fellow deputies Carrow. He wondered who else had been playing at law enforcement all along within the hidden shadows of the town. 

“Are you sure he won’t just die right on the carpet before we can begin?” Lucius asked in a whisper somewhere behind Remus.

“Oh he’s stronger than you think,” Riddle chuckled, moving things around that Remus could not see. 

“Mom, do I have…” came the voice of a child.

“Quiet Draco,” Lucius hissed. “You do as your told.”

The boy was silenced and Remus loathed his captors even more for bringing an unwilling participant, a child into this mess. He could feel as footsteps neared him, placing objects in a circle around his body, before everyone seemed to shuffle into place. All but one who approached him, kneeling and grinning down at Remus like he was the welcomed guest at a dinner party. 

“So Deputy. What did you see in the darkness?”

Remus frowned, refusing to answer. Not that Riddle seemed to need it. He simply cocked his head, looking somehow smug despite his grotesque facial swelling, and shrugged his shoulders. “I hope you opened your eyes. Like we all have done. Because this is not the end, not for any of us. Even you.”

Remus rolled his eyes, not wishing to show fear even in the presence of this mad man, and that’s when he saw it. A snake, long and grey, wrapped strangely around Riddle’s uninjured arm. He stared at it, curious at it’s stillness, wondering why a toy snake would adorn the man, when it turned its head slightly and flicked out its tongue. Remus gasped.

Riddle smiled curiously, never looking at the snake, only at Remus. “I think he’s ready.”

The room was not bright, lit in greys and blue shadows by dim candlelight, yet compared to his void of a prison it was a visual haven. Remus rolled onto his side, watching Riddle’s boots retreat and take position between two others. And four hooves. Remus frowned, shook his head against the floor, and frowned again. Nope, they were still there. 

The four grey legs of a horse he traced upwards into a very still mare alongside Narcissa Malfoy. It did not seem to react to the snake wound around Riddle’s arm, but that did not seem to be the strangest thing in the room. Each and every person he saw had an animal, either by their side or on their person. A falcon perched on Lucius’ shoulder, a ferret rested around the neck of his son. A wild looking woman who smiled viciously at him had a honey badger by her feet, the same crazed look in its eyes. The others he did not know, save Carrow, who would not meet his eyes. But the raven by his feet would not stop staring its beedy stair. None of them seemed to move, human or beast, and Remus wondered just how hard he’d hit his head to hallucinate so vividly. 

Riddle then started to hum, a noise deep in his throat that the others then took up in a horrible disjointed parody of a gregorian choir. Remus wished his hands were free if only to cover his ears. When Riddle stepped forward with a knife he barely noticed, ready to pass out again, but the flash of steel in candlelight jarred him back to reality. A cold hand touched his neck, tracing the old scar that circled one side, before placing the blade against the other. Remus’ skin turned to ice. This was it. And he could do absolutely nothing to stop it. 

He could feel the cut, that stinging break of the first layer of skin as Riddle drew the knife teasingly along his neck. His eyes closed unwittingly even as Remus wished to take in the last moments of his life with his own eyes. But then the pain stopped, Riddle pulled back the blade and Remus blinked to find him frowning.

“Put him back in the room while we deal with this, then we can complete the ritual,” he ordered and Carrow and an unknown man beside a fox grabbed him none too gently under the arms and dragged Remus back to the darkness. 

* * *

The men guarding the front of the Malfoy Estate only seemed to hesitate a moment before letting Sirius through. It might have been his badge, or the determined look in his eyes. Or perhaps it was Lily, James, McGonagall and eight armed officers at his back. Sirius liked to think it was the look in his eyes, the don’t you dare fuck with me attitude that could quell a perp in his or her tracks. When the opened the front doors it was to an unexpected crowd, at least fifty guests, bejeweled and bedecked in their finest, milling about the drawing room. The party guests seemed to freeze where they stood as the officers entered, one even dropped a champagne flute in an overly dramatic motion as she stared, mouth agape. 

“FBI, where are the Malfoys?” Sirius yelled, striding up to to a man who looked to be a house servant. He gazed wide eyed up at Sirius while holding a shaky tray of canapes. “Dobby told us they had taken an officer here. It’s a crime if you withhold evidence.”

“I...I don’t know of any officer,” the man swallowed, face devoid of color, “But the Malfoys have taken to going up to the old Salazar Commune late at night. It’s just over that hill.” He pointed.

McGonagall ordered two officers to remain at the estate and insure no guests or servants left while they took the remaining force up the hill. It was slow going, the snow was coming down and soft power can feel much like wading through quicksand without snowshoes. So they dredged up the hill, Sirius propelled on adrenaline and fear for Remus, hoping he was still alive and unharmed by these crazy cultists. Dobby had seemed keen that whatever ritual they were concocting had to be done at an exact time once the full moon was high in the sky, but with all the fog, snow and trees obscuring the sky, Sirius had no idea how to tell if they were already too late. 

He pressed on, flashlight in one hand, gun in the other, wading past trees and the occasional dilapidated structure from Salazar’s bygone bungalow that had succumbed to the elements. Snowflakes fell in his eyes, soft and cold, and his hands quickly lost feeling even within his thermal gloves. All his blood seemed to be pooled in his chest, in his hammering heart that beat with a plea that Remus was going to be found soon. They peered in darkened windows, broke down the door to a crumbling shed, but only once they reached the main structure did light and the sound of human activity become apparent. 

Candlelight, dim and menacing, shone faintly through dusty windows as Sirius and the team crept around either side. He took the back door, Lily, James and Mary McDonald by his side, while McGonagall and the rest of the team took the front. Synchronized like a well oiled machine, they broke down the doors, startling the darkly garbed occupants within when they were surrounded on all sides. The report of a gun flung Sirius into survival mode, grabbing McDonald by the shoulder and wedging them behind a wall. After a moment he peeked his head out, pupils blown wide to take in the darkness as he sought out the forms of the cultists. One lay crumpled on the ground, another kneeling beside, gun on the floor out of reach. When another shot rang out Sirius pulled back, feeling the false wind of a bullet buzz pass his ear. He fired back, into a chair he was sure a cultist crouched behind, hearing a satisfying groan as he hit his mark. 

Movement behind a bookcase had Sirius raising his gun, but it was only Lily and James, safe but caught behind a precarious target. He motioned for them, hoping they could break for better cover, and Lily nodded over at him before grabbing at James’ arm. Sirius turned and fired, hoping to draw attention away from his partner and James for a moment as the two rushed toward him. When a cultist sprang from seemingly out of nowhere, Sirius trailed his gun but the other man was quicker. But James saw him too, watching as if in slow motion as the gun fired off a single shot. James dove, pushing Lily down as she cried out in shock. Sirius shot the man, right in the head, and he went down in a crumpled heap.

“Cover me,” Sirius hissed to McDonald before he belly crawled on the floor, making himself as small as possible, reaching out for Lily and James. 

“I think he’s hit,” Lily gasped, pushing James’ weight from her body. Together they pulled the man to safy as he groaned and struggled for breath. 

“Shit, where?” Sirius yelled over another round of gun’s trading fire. 

“I’ve got him, you find Lupin,” Lily cried, pulling out her flashlight to search for the bullet.

“All clear on this side,” McGonagall shouted from the front of the room. Officers scurried, checking behind walls, furniture, anything in the dim light until there was no place left to hide in the sparse room.

“Clear,” one yelled back and Sirius ran over to the first cultists he’d seen, the couple on the ground in what looked like a crudely drawn circle. 

“Where is Lupin?” he asked, his voice low and commanding as the woman, tears glistening in the candlelight, brought her eyes to his. 

“There’s a room down that hallway,” she indicated with a nod of her chin. “He’s there. Please, bring paramedics, my husband…”

Sirius didn’t care to hear more. He got to his feet in one swift motion and ran down the hall, gun still drawn. 

* * *

Everything was dark for so long again. Or maybe it wasn’t long at all, time was strange. And Remus’ head hurt so badly that every second dragged on as if for eons. He wasn’t sure what was real or imagined anymore. He heard shouts, gunfire, footsteps again. 

He straightened his back against the wall, not wishing to show fear. If he had to be dragged back to his fate, he wanted to go on his terms, not shaking and cowering. He wouldn’t give them that satisfaction. When the door burst open it was much too bright, a beam of light right in his eyes, and Remus gasped and ducked his head despite his resolve. 

“Fuck,” a familiar voice said, then arms, cold but strong, wrapped around him. Sirius’ arms.

“Are you real?” Remus croaked, not trusting his mind not to conjure such a vision. 

“Are you?” Sirius parroted back, hugging him tighter. 

“Did you get them? Get Riddle?” Remus asked, breathing into Sirius’ neck. Damn he felt real, smelled real. He hoped this wasn’t another hallucination.

“I’m not sure yet. The bungalow is cleared, they’re calling in paramedics for the wounded now. I didn’t wait to find out who is captured, dead or needs medical assistance. I had to find you first.”

“Aww,” Remus said sleepily. He could still feel blood on his neck, his forehead, dripping and making him woozy. “You big sap.”

* * *

Remus barely remembered anything else before waking up in the hospital. Again. He was so sick of hospitals. He stretched his shoulders, relishing the ability to move his now unbound hands, and brought one up to his forehead, feeling thick bandages there. He sighed. What’s one more scar?

Then he saw the figure asleep, head on his bed, slumped over in a chair. Dark hair, not quite long enough, fell over Sirius’ face and Remus reached down to run his fingers through it. He stilled though when he saw two figures in the chairs across the room. 

James, a hospital gown on, slept in one, his head falling to one side, resting on Lily’s shoulder. She smiled over at him and Remus let out a deep breath. 

Stirring, Sirius seemed to arch his neck into the touch before coming fully awake. 

“Hey,” Remus said, his voice coming out rough and strained. He hoped someone could get him some water soon.

“Hey,” Sirius said quietly back, sitting up and arching his back. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore. All over,” Remus winced. “But alive.” 

Sirius smiled and it tugged at Remus’ heart something fierce.

“So what happened? Last I remember I was going to be sacrificed for magic,” he scoffed, hoping Sirius couldn’t hear the tremble in his voice at the very real possibility he had almost died.

“You missed a hell of a showdown,” Sirius answered back, finding Remus’ hand with his own and squeezing tight. “There were seven cultists, plus Riddle. Four dead. Lucius is in intensive care stil for a bullet wound to the chest. His son is alive, the wife hid him away, and she’s unharmed as well.”

“And Riddle?”

Sirius drummed his other hand on the metal bed frame. “He wasn’t there.”

“What?”

“I know, I don’t’ know how…”

“But he was there, he’s the one who tried to sacrifice me,” he touched his bandaged neck and frowned. “What about the animals?”

“Huh? Sirius looked perplexed. 

“There was...a horse? And a badger...a crow?” Remus wracked his brain. He knew he’d seen animals, seven animals plus Riddle’s snake, in the dim candlelight. Or maybe that too was a product of a concussion and loss of blood.

“Um, no animals,” Sirius said with a frown. 

“Don’t…” Remus thought about it, “Don’t write that up. Or tell McGonagall, please? I think it was all in my head, my mind playing tricks from blood loss or something. Okay?”

“Sure,” Sirius said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Remus’s hand as he gazed worriedly at him. 

“But no sign of Riddle?” Remus asked, changing the subject. 

Sirius shook his head. 

“Fuck,” Remus moved to rub his hand through his hair but it was slightly immobilized by IV tubes. 

“We found an arm downriver, almost positive it belongs to Officer Longbottom but just waiting on labs. Riddle must’ve killed him and switched uniforms. His face was so deformed from the accident no one could tell it wasn’t Longbottom and he refused to speak with his wife.”

“Yeah, I started catching on to the strangeness of that near the end. A bit too late before hopping in the car with him I’m afraid.”

“It’s not your fault you know,” Sirius said soothingly. “He was crazy. Thought Salazar was a genius, wanted to become some sort of wizard. And finish the job sacrificing you. It’s not your fault.”

Remus took a moment, steading his breathing as he took everything in.

“So...what now?”

Sirius squared his shoulders, looking determined but Remus could see a hint of defeat in his eyes. “We keep searching. One of Lucius’ cars was gone, we’ve got an APB out on it. It’s our only lead now.”

Remus sighed. “Do I need to go into hiding?”

Shaking his head, Sirius looked down at their joined hands. “I don’t know. We aren’t sure he’ll target you again.”

“But he could.”

“He could,” Sirius conceded. 

“I don’t suppose West Virginia has any relocation spots for a man who needs to escape a crazed cultist?”

“Hmm,” Sirius looked playfully thoughtful. “I guess I could put in a good word.”

“Ugh, stop flirting already,” Lily said from across the room. Remus had forgotten she was there and James had awakened and seemed to be clutching at his ribs to hold back his laughter. “James is going to break another rib and this time he doesn’t have a vest for protection.”

Sirius shook his head and turned back to Remus. “Is that something you think you’d want? To move there? Near me?” He sounded so hopeful, so adorably insecure that Remus brought a hand to his cheek, cupping it softly.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that a lot.”


End file.
